Christmas Three: Christmas Makes a Minor Philly Comeback!
In the midst of the annual War on Christmas, Christian and non-Christian observers of Christmas can take some heart in a report out of Philadelphia.
“Christmas is back” is the lead on a Philly.com article which tells of good tidings in the City of Brotherly Love: “Mayor Nutter, after sustaining two days of controversy, wants ‘Christmas’ back up on the signs at the entrance to the German Christmas Village at City Hall.”
Mayor Michael Nutter–no cheap puns, please!–in his first 4-year term in Philly and scheduled to face a re-elction battle in 2012, decided, after “personal reflection,” to re-instate Christmas after a public uproar that arose to deleting it.
As Philly.com summarized the controversy, “The tempest in a holiday teapot kicked off Monday when workers were spotted taking the word Christmas off the archways into the traditional German Christmas Village outside City Hall in Dilworth Plaza. The organizer took down the word after Managing Director Richard Negrin told him the city had received complaints:” http://tiny.cc/edcze
It wasn’t quite clear as to whom was being referred to as “the organizer,” the origin, volume, and nature of the “complaints” weren’t clarified, Negrin adopted the classic Sgt. Schultz defense of, “I know nutink!” by saying “he never specifically asked for the word to be removed,” and the personally-reflecting Mayor Nutter hastened to add,”The Christmas Village is not a religious service. It’s an outdoor fair. It’s a very commercial enterprise.”
But, why quibble? The word, if not the spirit, of Christmas has been returned to the City of Philadelphia . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=2900)
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