Southern Community Plans Bold Statement About Christmas
by Dee Ann Campbell
December 16, 2005
(AgapePress) - - Sparked by the nationwide controversy over the use of Christian words and decorations during the Christmas season, the town of Gilbertown is already making plans for next December. From next year's festival to the parade to the town's decor, town officials are planning to make a bold statement about their own views on the subject. "We are planning to make the whole event -- the parade and the festival -- a religious theme," says town clerk Alice Carlisle. "Our theme will be the Nativity, and we are asking all businesses to fill this town up with Nativity scenes."
For the past two years, the town has used the name "WinterFest" for its day-long festival and parade. According to Carlisle, the name was not intended to remove religious meaning from the event. Rather, it originated from last year's "Snowman" theme and simply carried over to this year's event.
But next Christmas, the day will be termed "ChristmasFest" in keeping with the Christian origin of the holiday.
The controversy over the use of Christian symbols and messages during Christmas has been raging for the past several years. This year, the fight reached a crescendo when retailers like Wal-Mart, Lowe's, and JC Penney chose to ban the word "Christmas" from their stores, opting instead to use the word "holiday."
With threats of law suits by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other atheist groups, retailers, schools, and town officials across the country have become increasingly afraid to use Christian decorations, religious carols, and Christian themes for their parades, plays, and public decor.
But under pressure from consumers and Christian advocacy groups like the American Family Association and Focus on the Family, as well as repeated coverage of the issue by commentator Bill O'Reilly of Fox News Channel's O'Reilly Factor, some retailers have since altered those decisions. Wal-Mart opted to return to using "Merry Christmas" as a greeting, and others may be following suit.
Next December, the town of Gilbertown will add their own views to the growing numbers who are joining the fight to keep the Christian meaning in Christmas.
"We want everyone in town to take part in this," Carlisle said. "That's why we are letting them know now, so everyone will have their Nativities ready by next December."
Dee Ann Campbell is features editor for The Choctaw Sun, a community newspaper published in Choctaw County, Alabama. This article is reprinted with the permission of the weekly newspaper and editor/publisher Tommy Campbell, a bi-vocational pastor.
