FORT COLLINS — This city will not be remembered as the one that booted Christmas, city council members said tonight.
The council voted 6-1 to ignore ideas from a city task force that called for an “inclusive” holiday celebration that would replace traditional colored lights with only white lights on the outside of city buildings.
Instead, the council said old-time Christmas symbols – wreaths, decorated trees and colored lights – will remain next to city buildings.
A new multi-cultural display, however, will be erected at the city’s museum.
Mayor Doug Hutchinson said Fort Collins earned a Grinch-like reputation because of the task force’s suggestions to de-emphasize Christmas during the holidays.
“This will probably have a residual effect on the city,” Hutchinson said. “But this is still a great, inclusive city.”
Over 40 residents spoke out against the Holiday Display Task Force’s recommendations – which included using only white lights, secular winter symbols and unadorned garlands of greenery on city buildings.
The all-volunteer task force, which included clergy, had called for an emphasis on multi-cultural displays and an overall celebration of the winter season rather than a particular holiday.
Many who took turns at the microphone during a two-hour public hearing criticized the task force’s recommendations as diminishing Christmas.
“Basically, the city subtly… removed Christmas and replaced it with a pagan holiday called the winter holiday,” said resident Jerry Nettles.
“I don’t celebrate winter.”
The task force got national media attention, especially from conservative commentators such as Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, who derided the ideas.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden also challenged the task force, saying he would erect a Christmas tree outside of the sheriff’s administration building on Dec. 1 and invited residents to decorate with Christmas symbols.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
