"Christmas" is Back in Vogue with many retailers that have begun to realize on which side their bread has always been buttered.  For some, like Macy’s, the reality that Christmas keeps them in business was denied as long as possible before agreeing this year that “Christmas” was okay to mention now and then.

How is it, though, that Macy’s is so quick to defend male cross-dressers using the ladies’ changing room?  Answer: political correctness run amok.

In their efforts to avoid offending anyone, Macy’s concludes, in its infinite wisdom, that men should be able to change in the ladies’ room and that “Christmas” is an unutterably offensive word.

Political correctness is batty, berserk, bonkers, chaotic, confused, cracked, crazed, defective, disordered, disorganized, erratic, flipped, a mess,  insane, mad, messy, nuts, out of order, out of whack, out to lunch, psycho, schizophrenic, screwball, screwy, touched, unbalanced, unglued, unhinged, wacky, and leaves everything it touches in pieces.  Choke the beast…avoid PC-ism at all costs, and in all its ugly forms.

Spend your Christmas dollars elsewhere and let’s see if the cross-dressers can keep Macy’s from going out-of-business.

The American Family Association published it’s 2011 Naughty & Nice list and so has the Liberty Council.

One day after the AFA’s threat to boycott Walgreens for blatantly ignoring Christmas in their advertisements, Walgreens responded:

November 22, 2011

Walgreens’ consumer relations has apologized for offending customers by labeling dozens of Christmas-specific items as "holiday" in its pre-Thanksgiving newspaper inserts last Sunday.

In responding to thousands of phone calls, Walgreens community affairs director John Gremer issued a statement to AFA, which says, in part:
"During the months of October and November, we make greater use of the word ‘holiday’ to include celebrations such as Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. But as Christmas Day draws closer, you’ll see more references to the word ‘Christmas.’ That includes the message, ‘Merry Christmas,’ which will be on the front of our newspaper sales insert on Dec. 25.

"We fully agree with you that – while we’re helping customers celebrate a variety of holidays during this time of year – we should continue and increase the use of the word ‘Christmas’ when referring to items specifically for the Christmas holiday."

AFA is grateful to Walgreens for its response and willingness to listen to customer concerns. As a result, AFA is suspending its "Christmas Boycott" of Walgreens.

Support those who recognize that Christmas is what keeps them in the black.

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:” ~ George Washington

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

Nina Totenberg, who is a – forgive the expression – NPR reporter/journalist, interjected on Inside Washington in the oddest cautionary separation from a common description for a common event, seemingly embarrassed to invoke any reference to Christmas.

Two lumps of coal for you this year, Nina….just don’t tell any of your Leftist friends that you have coal in your possession.

Way back near the beginning of the Left’s assault on Christmas, CitizenLink Managing Editor Stuart Shepard created this 2007 video about a strange new phenomenon: receiving ‘holiday’ catalogs in his mailbox.  Stuart shares his idea for a new holiday in this Stoplight video commentary.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us not forget about Tossmas

To learn when new Stoplights videos are posted, subscribe to the CitizenLink Daily Update from Focus on the Family Action: http://www.citizenlink.org.

• More retailers have returned to using the word “Christmas” in their in-store displays and in their TV, radio, and online advertising (especially Wal-Mart and Kohl’s; and Lowes and K-Mart to a lesser extent).
• Some retailers (like Hobby Lobby and Bass Pro Shops) never waivered.
• The Hollywood Christmas Parade returned after a one-year stint as the Hollywood Holiday Parade (see post below).
• Services like DISH Network advertised boldly with a very fun Christmas theme.
• The Patchogue Christmas Parade returned.

Nevertheless, the Grinches in corporate HR departments, public indoctrination centers (aka, schools), etc. still refuse to acknowledge Christmas. 

Continue to cheerfully and unabashedly wish others a Merry Christmas with every opportunity and share your experiences here on Where’s Christmas?

Until next year, may God bless you and yours, and may you all have a very Merry Christmas

Here’s a fun little video featuring voice over actors and celebrities reading the classic Christmas story, The Night Before Christmas with a few fun little twists here and there.  Among the many voices are Jim Cummings (who replaced Sterling Holloway as the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and later took over as the voice of Tigger following Paul Winchell’s retirement), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), radio & TV personality Gary Owens, and voiceover master Don LaFontaine (you’ll recognize him when you hear him).  For fun, try listening to it without watching.

For younger children who are less familiar with the story, start with this version which is a faithful retelling of the original poem by Clement C. Moore with some nicely done animation and a brief introduction.  The entire story is narrated by two moms who dedicate the video to their children.

Notes about the Author and the Poem

Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, which he named "A Visit From St. Nicholas," was published for the first time on December 23, 1823 by a New York newspaper, the Sentinel.  Since then, the poem has been reprinted, translated into innumerable languages and circulated throughout the world. 

Clement Clarke Moore (1779 – 1863) was born into a well-known New York family.  His father, Reverend Benjamin Moore, was president of (what is now) Columbia University and was the Episcopal Bishop of New York.  Moore’s father also officiated at the inauguration of George Washington’s first inauguration and gave last rites to Alexander Hamilton after Hamilton was mortally wounded in his 1804 duel with Aaron Burr.  Clement C. Moore himself was an author, a noted Hebrew scholar, spoke five languages, and was an early real-estate owner and developer in Manhattan.

Despite his accomplishments, Clement C. Moore is remembered only for "’Twas the Night Before Christmas," which legend says he wrote on Christmas Eve in 1822 during a sleigh ride home from Greenwich Village after buying a turkey for his family.  Some say the inspiration for Moore’s pot-bellied St. Nicholas was the chubby, bewhiskered Dutchman who drove Moore to Greenwich Village to buy his holiday turkey.

Moore read the poem to his wife and six children the night he wrote it, and supposedly thought no more about it.  But it is believed that a family friend, Miss H. Butler, sent a copy of the poem to the New York Sentinel which published the poem.  The condition of publication was that the author was to remain anonymous.  Moore’s poem immediately caught the attention and imagination of the state, then the nation, and then the world.  Moore never copyrighted his poem, and only claimed as his own in 1844 when he included it in a book of his poetry.

Because of his "mere trifle," as he called it, 187 years ago Clement C. Moore almost single-handedly defined our now timeless image of Santa Claus.  Prior to the creation of the story St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had never been associated with a sleigh or reindeers!  The tradition of reading the poem on Christmas Eve is now a Worldwide institution.

Moore’s eight reindeer names refer to their individual character, mission, or magical flying prowess:

• · Dasher (hurls or thrusts with great force)

• · Dancer (moves with skill, grace, rhythm)

• · Prancer (springs forward on hind legs, struts with spirit and confidence)

• · Vixen (alert and fiercely protective, guards against all possible dangers)

• · Comet (a powerful and fiery rock hurtling through the heavens, a celestial wonder)

• · Cupid (symbolic of love, referring to just how admirable Santa’s mission is to remind the world each year of the joy and Love Christmas brings)

• · Donner (or Donder) and Blitzen evolved from the original Dutch words “Dunder” (thunder) and “Blixem” (lightning)

Rudolph was later revealed as the ninth reindeer in Santa’s stable in Robert L. May’s 1939 booklet for Montgomery Ward Department Stores. May’s booklet was adapted by Johnny Marks into a song by the same name made famous in 1949 by Gene Autry. The tale tells of Santa’s lead reindeer who possesses an unusually red-colored nose that gives off its own light, powerful enough to illuminate the team’s path through even the most inclement weather.

Children ‘round the world can rest assured that together, these famous reindeer eagerly exercise their God-given talents to guarantee Santa’s arrival to all points on the globe each and every Christmas Eve.

Notes: 

• Some scholars now believe the poem was actually written by Major Henry Livingston, Jr.  Whatever the authorship controversy ultimately determines, this work has become a Christmas favorite.
• What is a "courser?"  A swift horse; a charger. 
• Sash – A frame in which the panes of a window or door are set.

We’re excited to go see the new Disney film, A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey (we may actually go see it on Christmas night).

After reading Plugged In’s review (and what we’ve heard by word of mouth), the movie sticks closely to Charles Dickens’ story so think twice before taking young children to see the movie as they might find it a little too scary.

Have you seen the movie yet?  Leave a comment and share your review with the rest of us…

Ever read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? 

Now, you have no excuse!  You can read the whole thing free, online. 

Just click on the book…