As the attacks on Christmas keep mounting, over 200,000 shoppers are wearing buttons this Christmas season that proclaim a straightforward message to retailers: "It's OK, Wish Me A Merry Christmas?." Individuals and churches around the country are partnering with the Wish Me A Merry Christmas Campaign, a campaign that stands up to the powers and principalities, ?the rulers of the darkness of this age? (Eph 6:12), that hopes to lovingly announce the Light of the World through the wishing of ?Merry Christmas? again.
Pastors across the North America have lined up to support the Campaign. "Our nation needs to return to our Christian roots and values. Trying to remove the name of Jesus Christ from Christmas and from our society must be stopped,? says Reverend John Mains of Fountain of Life in Johnstown, PA.
In Ontario, Canada Pastor Troy Dingwell says, "I believe it is great that there are still people in North America who still hold to our Christian beliefs and traditions."
Even Santa himself humbly gives credit where credit is due, "Christmas is not just about Santa and presents. Christmas is about the baby Jesus."
Sue Fairchild and Reverend James Ritter of the Watsontown Baptist Church in Watsontown, PA sees the spirit of the Campaign, "We are using these buttons to encourage our congregation to step out in their faith this holiday season. We are coming together to put Christ back in Christmas."
Said Campaign Manager, Ashley Tarter, "After 3 years of campaigning on behalf of Christmas, we are seeing national retailers changing their advertising in favor of Christmas with words, symbols and music that honor Christmas and welcome shoppers into their stores to celebrate Christmas as a culture again."
One of the main goals of the Campaign is to encourage retailers to allow their employees to say ?Merry Christmas?. Stores such as Barnes and Noble and Victoria?s Secret continually push Christmas out of their stores by failing to use displays with religious overture and refusing the convivial greeting to be wished at checkout. Since 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas (Gallup Poll, 2004), it's likely that the store cashiers would prefer to wish their customers "Merry Christmas" as well. In fact 88% of Americans state that "It's okay to wish 'Merry Christmas'." (Gallup Poll). Perhaps this year, with over 200,000 buttons circulating amongst shoppers, retailers will finally get the message and the war on Christmas will be brought to an end.
The national Wish Me A Merry Christmas Campaign is appealing to retailers to "put Christmas back in the holidays" with two straightforward petitions:
To actively retract adverse corporate holiday wishing policies, by returning to the traditional and explicit "Merry Christmas" phrase; and
To restore use of the symbols, language and sounds of Christmas in in-store displays, signage and music, as well as in November and December advertising.
From Florida to Alaska and into Canada individuals and churches have purchased hundreds of thousands of the red and green, "It's OK, Wish Me A Merry Christmas," ornament-like buttons to wear and share.
For more information, visit http://www.wmamc.com - the first letters in Wish Me A Merry Christmas, or contact Media Relations at 800-487-7137, option 4. Merry Christmas!
Gallup Poll 2004, PDFs available at http://wmamc.com/millionbuttongoal/media.html
Media: For further information, contact Ashley Tarter at 800-487-7137 ext. 709. Additional research content available via the MEDIA link at the Wish Me a Merry Christmas Campaign site, http://www.wmamc.com).
For a list of cities where the "It's OK Wish Me A Merry Christmas" buttons have been distributed, please see:
http://www.wmamc.com/charterchurches/find_charterchurches.html
Photos: http://wmamc.com/millionbuttongoal/media.html#images
Contacts:
Ashley Tarter
Wish Me A Merry Christmas Campaign
PO Box 5398
Williamsburg, VA 23188
PHONE. 800-487-7137 ext. 709
###
No comments:
Post a Comment