Restoring 'Christmas' -- Lowe's Axes 'Holiday Trees' Campaign

Yeah!!! Score one for the Good Guys!!!

(AgapePress) - The president of a Mississippi-based pro-family group says he's pleased that Lowe's home improvement stores have stopped selling "holiday trees" and have changed to offering "Christmas trees."
According to the American Family Association (AFA), several major retailers have joined in a politically correct "push to ban" the use of the term "Christmas" in their advertising and in-store promotions. Included in that list, says AFA, are such major outlets as Kmart, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens. Last week, the pro-family group brought to the attention of the public that another retailer -- this time the home improvement retailer Lowe's -- appeared to have jumped on the bandwagon as well. AFA reported that instead of selling "Christmas trees," Lowe's was offering fresh-cut "holiday trees." (See earlier story)
Following that revelation, "thousands of AFA supporters contacted Lowe's to express their displeasure," states an AFA press release -- resulting in the retailer announcing it was going to refer to all its trees as Christmas trees "to ensure consistency of our message and to avoid confusion among our customers." In addition, Lowe's said it had removed a "Holiday Trees" banner from their storefronts.
Why make such a big deal about the advertising phraseology employed by retailers? AFA president Tim Wildmon responds.

Tim Wildmon"The secularization of Christmas is a serious problem, especially in the retail business today," Wildmon says. "These big corporations are wanting to make money off people at Christmastime for celebrating Christmas, but they want to call it a 'holiday season' -- they don't want to identify it as Christmas because that might offend one or two percent of the American public."
And since retailers are unable to remove "Christ" from "Christmas," says the AFA president, many of are simply trying to do away with Christmas. Such "anti-Christian bias," he adds, does not bode well with consumers.
"Companies who choose to abandon the national observance of Christmas are finding that Americans are not afraid to speak out with their pocketbooks," he says. Last year the pro-family group called for a boycott of Federated Stores because the retailer had banned "Merry Christmas" in its advertising. But this year, "they are using 'Merry Christmas,'" notes Wildmon.
AFA also reports that more than 400,000 individuals have signed an online petition to stop retailers' ban on the use of "Christmas." The AFA leader says while this petition, which is being sent to retailers, likely will have no effect on company policies this year, it could affect things next year.
As for the Lowe's announcement, Wildmon offers kudos, saying it is "good to know Lowe's is a company that listens to their customers," That quality, he says, is a "rarity in today's politically correct retail market."

Good for them. I wonder if any of the others will come around. Keep praying about this and putting what pressure you can on them to make the change.

Update:
Restoring 'Christmas' -- Walgreen's, Kroger Respond

(AgapePress) - You win some -- and you lose some. That adage seems to apply appropriately to one group's ongoing efforts to keep "Christ" in Christmas, at least on the retail front.
According to the founder of Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA), it is apparent that at least one retailer -- Walgreen's -- has gotten the message that it is not in their best interest to continue avoiding use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" in its advertising campaigns and in-store promotions. Speaking earlier today (Dec. 1) on American Family Radio, Donald E. Wildmon said an AFA supporter had heard from Walgreen's, indicating that although it is too late to change this season's advertising materials, next year "things will be different."
He says a consumer response representative with Walgreen's is distributing a letter stating that "Next year, you can be assured our advertising will better incorporate 'Christmas' -- and our holiday trees will be called Christmas trees."

Read the rest here.

Philippians 4:6
New International Version (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.