The Grinch popped his eyes! … What he saw was a shocking surprise!
“He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming! It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same!”
Who-ville Wal-Mart associates could now proudly say, “Merry Christmas!” to shoppers instead of “Happy Holidays!”
Boycotted by religious groups last year for its Grinchy greetings, Wal-Mart is now allowing store clerks to wish their customers a Merry Christmas.
About 60 percent more of Wal-Mart’s merchandise has been re-labeled “Christmas” instead of just “Holiday.” “The Holiday Shop,” a section where decorations are sold, has been re-named “The Christmas Shop.” And traditional carols ring out of the stores’ speaker systems.
“This year, more than ever, our shoppers will see and hear more about Christmas and the incredible values Wal-Mart is providing,” marketing executive John Fleming said in a recent news release.
Other retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s and Walgreens, are following suit.
Peace on Earth, good will toward men, and some very merry fourth-quarter earnings for the retail sector.
Poll after poll shows that more than 80 percent of Americans are at least nominally Christian. Even the illegal workers jumping our border are Christian.
Who were retailers worried about offending last year with their secular greetings? Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and the Grinch should be used to “Merry Christmas” by now. Nobody has been forcibly baptized by the words.
Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly and a few conservative Christian groups have argued that there is a “War on Christmas.” They’ve even claimed that by dropping the words “Merry Christmas,” retailers – perhaps unwittingly – joined a liberal conspiracy to remove religion from popular culture so that the gay agenda and legalized abortion can thrive.
What’s thriving, though, is Wal-Mart, which put an executive on O’Reilly’s show to promote its change of heart in a free, prime-time commercial.
Retailers who say “Happy Holidays” are only trying to be inclusive. They don’t care what religion their customers believe. They just want the money.
If you are shopping this weekend, please conduct an experiment for me. Say “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Christmas” alternately to people that you meet. See if it makes any difference. My guess is that most people will be pleased to receive either greeting if it’s sincerely offered. You can write about the results on my blog at www.denverpostbloghouse.com/lewis.
So far, throngs of atheists, secular humanists and those of nonChristian religions are not boycotting Wal-Mart for the highly promoted switcheroo.
Both the Catholic League and the evangelical American Family Association, however, are now complaining about Best Buy for not using the word “Christmas” in any of its advertising. A spokesperson for Best Buy has responded, “We’ll continue to stick with ‘happy holidays’ … There are several holidays throughout November and December. We want to be respectful of that.”
Hallmark Cards Inc. thinks being respectful is a good idea too. The Kansas City, Mo.-based company recommends that businesses send clients “religion-neutral” cards. “The purpose of a holiday card is to strengthen a relationship,” said Hallmark’s Marc Wagenheim in a news release. “Sending a card that doesn’t assume a particular religious faith provides a way to wish good tidings without offending anyone.”
What should be offensive – yet somehow is not – is that a spiritual observance is becoming more of a festival of consumer greed each year. Religious groups who complain about retailers’ greetings are only promoting this trend.
Or as Dr. Seuss put it:
The Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: ‘How could it be so?’
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!”
Al Lewis’ column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Respond to Lewis at denverpostbloghouse.com/lewis, 303-954-1967 or alewis@denverpost.com.
