Thursday, December 11, 2009 » Focus on the Family Action recently launched www.StandForChristmas.com, a Web site informing Christians which major retailers are �Christmas-friendly.� People can login and rate stores based on how often the word �Christmas� appears in catalogues or an employee�s choice to say �Merry Christmas� instead of �Happy Holidays.�
�We�re placing shoppers in the driver�s seat,� the Stand for Christmas Web site said. �Through this site, customers can provide feedback directly to retailers and share their experiences with fellow shoppers!�
Focus on the Family Action has taken part in fighting the �War on Christmas,� a phrase coined to describe the secularizing of the Christmas holiday since 2007, according to the Stand for Christmas Web site.
�I think that people should fight for keeping Christ in Christmas, because that�s what it is: it�s a Christian [holiday],� Autumn Neighbors (so) said.
Neighbors said that it does not offend her when someone tells her �Happy Holidays� instead of �Merry Christmas,� but mainly because she doesn�t pay attention to it. She, however, will always say �Merry Christmas� in response.
�I wouldn�t change my standards to say �Happy Holidays,� but when somebody tells me, �Happy Holidays,� it doesn�t [matter],� Neighbors said.
Social work major Nick Yankey (jr) said that the focus of the holiday should not be on such issues, but dealing with consumerism.
�If Christians should be standing for anything this season, it should be for advocating for the poor,� Yankey said. He said that consumerism is a big part of the American culture and that Christians should be focusing on being good stewards of their money, not on the language used in stores and catalogues.
�I do think we spend a lot of time on the name of [the holiday], but I think that�s important because in the world today they keep trying to take Christ out of everything,� said Neighbors. �I think that Christians should fight � to keep Christ in really important things like Christmas.�
Neighbors added, �But I do think � we consume a lot of stuff and we spend a lot of money around Christmas.� She said that though a lot of money is spent during the Christmas season, a lot of it does go to help people in need, like Operation Christmas Child, which sends boxes of toys to children around the world.
Yankey pointed out that most of the customer reactions posted on the Stand for Christmas Web site seem to take place at the checkout counter, which may indicate that the disgruntled shoppers still bought products from the store.
�I think Christians need to keep each other accountable for the way in which other Christians are celebrating the season,� Yankey said. �I think that looks different than � what is going on now. Christians seem to be fighting the world.�
On the Stand for Christmas Web site, the Gap retailer has the highest offensive rating of 85 percent. However, Gap, along with several retailers not listed on the Stand for Christmas site, sells the Product (RED) brand. Companies involved in the campaign design merchandise with the (RED) logo and a percentage of the revenue goes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.
�I almost wonder if there�s a deeper issue,� Yankey said. �Why aren�t Christians checking up on those other store policies? Does this corporation give money to charity? And how do they treat their employees, and where do the clothes come from? That to me is a bigger issue than how consumers are treated during a one-month period of the year.�