Naughty and Nice Retailers

Naughty and Nice Retailers by Joshua Paladino, (Liberty Headlines)

The Liberty Counsel released a list yesterday of “pro-Christmas” stores for Christians to shop at this holiday season as well as a list of those that want your money for "holiday" gift buying without mentioning the reason for the season.

As part of the legal organization’s “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign,” the “Naughty and Nice List” documents the retailers that advocate, or suppress, a Christ-centered Christmas.

Major apparel stores appear on the naughty list: Gap, J. Crew, Old Navy, and TJ Maxx. “Offenders” make the list for a lack of references to Christmas and few, if any, references to the holidays.

Rite Aid Pharmacy and Walgreens landed on the naughty list as well. Similarly, they promote the holiday season, but with few references to Christmas.

Barnes & Noble fell on the naughty list for promoting “gift-giving” and other holiday cliches, without directly mentioning Christmas.

The good news this season is that far more retailers appear on the “nice” list. Clothing stores such as American Eagle Outfitters, JC Penney, Kohl’s, and Macy’s earned a spot on the nice list, for their dedication to Christmas themes — not simply holiday themes.

Walmart, Toys “R” Us, Sears, Lowe’s, Menards, Kmart, Kirkland’s, The Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, and Hallmark made the list for their decision to use Christmas over “holidays” in many or most advertisements this year.

Referring to Christmas instead of “the holidays” is good for business. A Rasmussen poll found that 70 percent of shoppers prefer a “Merry Christmas” greeting over a “Happy Holidays” greeting.

“We are encouraged to see a surge of retail stores embracing the Christmas season,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “We are now seeing a return to honesty in advertising.

“If stores are trying to sell items for this special season, then they should call it ‘Christmas.’

As our ‘Nice List’ continues to expand, we are happy to report that retailers are recognizing that it is about the birth of Jesus, not a ‘winter holiday.’”