December Dilemma Watch 2007

December Dilemma Watch 2007

The AFA’s Naughty List: Kohl’s and the Gap

posted by hrossi | 10:30am Friday November 30, 2007

The conservative group American Family Association also is continuing to call out companies that it believes are undermining the public celebration of Christmas. A recent action alert has urged members to write to the department store chain Kohl’s for “taking a misleading, in-your-face attitude when it comes to Christmas.”
Specifically, the group alleges that Kohl’s has ignored a promise they made to include the word “Christmas” prominently in their holiday marketing materials. The chain says in its “About Us” frequently-asked-questions area, “Like last year, Kohl’s is embracing the Christmas spirit and will include “Christmas” in its advertising. It will be featured in print, TV, and radio throughout the season.” But the AFA is disappointed in the showing so far. The Kohl’s homepage touts a “Holiday Shop” and “Home for the Holidays” but does not mention Christmas, and Kohl’s mentions Christmas in only 6 of their 18 holiday fliers. “Why would Kohl’s ban Christmas? The obvious answer is they don’t want to offend non-Christians,” the AFA action alert said.
A second action alert is directed at The Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. Despite efforts last year to urge these comapnies to include “Christmas” in their December materials, “holidays” rule the day, and the only item that contains the word Christmas this year is a pair of Gap boxers.



Previous Posts

All is Calm, All is Bright
As I bring this year's December Dilemma Watch to a close, I have to say that 2007 will not go down as a banner year in the history of the Christmas wars. There were no freedom-of-religion (or freedom-from-religion) lawsuits that grabbed national headlines, no flood of boycotts of major retailers be

posted 10:23:43am Dec. 24, 2007 | read full post »

No Christ in Christmas? Impossible!
Yesterday, CNN.com published this column by commentator Roland Wilson, in which he makes the argument that Americans should "return to traditional values, and end this ridiculous charade" of stripping Christmas of its religious meaning. To longtime observers of the December Dilemma, Wilson's essay a

posted 10:58:44am Dec. 21, 2007 | read full post »

Not Until His Birthday, Please
This week, at least 12 residents of Santa Clarita, California discovered something missing from the nativity scenes they had put up in their front yards--the baby Jesus. In place of the baby, according to Los Angeles' KNBC News, the thieves left a note that read, "Do not worry for baby Jesus is not

posted 10:30:24am Dec. 21, 2007 | read full post »

The Vatican's Nativity Switch
According to Catholic World News, the Vatican has changed its tradition of erecting a Nativity scene of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in a manger in Bethlehem, instead putting up a scene of the holy family in their home in Nazareth. The Vatican has put up a creche since Pope John Paul II instituted the t

posted 10:00:08am Dec. 21, 2007 | read full post »

Mike Huckabee's Christmas Message
Gov. Mike Huckabee, the ordained Southern Baptist preacher who continues to rise in the Republican presidential primary polls, has a new ad out that aims directly for the pro-Christmas set. People shouldn't be bombarded during this time of year with political ads, Huckabee says while wearing a red

posted 10:35:00am Dec. 19, 2007 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(3)
post a comment
~tv

posted December 4, 2007 at 7:06 pm


Specifically, the group alleges that Kohl’s has ignored a promise they made to include the word “Christmas” prominently in their holiday marketing materials. The chain says in its “About Us” frequently-asked-questions area, “Like last year, Kohl’s is embracing the Christmas spirit and will include “Christmas” in its advertising. It will be featured in print, TV, and radio throughout the season.”
The AFA deliberately misquotes Kohl’s here: “Kohl’s… will include Christmas in it’s advertizing,” does not equate to “a promise to include the word “Christmas” prominently – so it’s clearly an attempt to manufacture a strawman.
But the AFA is disappointed in the showing so far. The Kohl’s homepage touts a “Holiday Shop” and “Home for the Holidays” but does not mention Christmas, and Kohl’s mentions Christmas in only 6 of their 18 holiday fliers.
This appears to be proof that Kohl’s is featuring Christmas in its advertising. Fully 33% of their ads are specifically featuring the word “Christmas,” as promised.
“Why would Kohl’s ban Christmas? The obvious answer is they don’t want to offend non-Christians,” the AFA action alert said.
To which I can only reply:
“I don’t know, AFA. Why would they? Even more important, why would you intimate that Kohl’s is “banning” Christmas when, clearly, a third of their advertising is targeted precisely to your demographic?”
The “War on Christmas” is Fake as the snow in the Seattle Airport. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as non-toxic.
There’s a Kohl’s in my town. I think I’ll be spending some of my Christmas bonus there.



report abuse
 

Andie

posted December 7, 2007 at 1:23 am


So, they’re complaining because Kohl’s isn’t commercializing Christmas enough? Isn’t that the opposite of what Christ would have wanted?



report abuse
 

DannyUK2

posted December 7, 2007 at 9:54 am


Oh what a load of codswallop. the AFA clearly isn’t filled with the festive spirit of christmas, having a chip on its shoulder and all that. They must be seriously lacking in the spirit of christmas, and dare i say it, downright selfish in their attitude. They’re trying to create anger at a supposedly “wrong” situation, rather than celebrating the birth of their lord jesus christ. They’ve allowed one minor issue to distract them from something should be religiously more important to them, along with thousands of other more-important issues – homelessness, hunger, people spending christmas alone this year, etc. and the AFA has only itself to blame.



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story


About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.