In Saginaw, Michigan this week, the annual Dickens Christmas Festival was re-named the Dickens Holiday Festival. The name change came because festival organizers face a dwindling advertising budget, and removing “Christmas” from the name allows them to advertise in public schools. Downtown Development board member Kriss Roethleisberger told WNEM News that the new nomenclature does…

A school board near Pensacola, Florida found itself embroiled in a debate over what to call the vacation that students get between December 22 and January 2. In a 2008-2009 school year calendar that was up for approval by the board, the period was listed as “Winter Break,” upsetting several members of the board. The…

With environmental consciousness rising nationwide, it’s not surprising that one bone of contention this holiday season is how December has become a hotbed of consumerism and consumption. Green-minded bloggers and organizations are stepping up in hopes of convincing people that a meaningful holiday can’t be bought, and shouldn’t harm the planet. Hardly anyone is suggesting…

The American Family Association is sponsoring a program to make sure that “Merry Christmas” doesn’t disappear from the American lexicon this December. “Project Merry Christmas” invites churches to “proclaim to our communities that Christmas is not just a winter holiday focused on materialism, but a ‘holy day’ when we celebrate the birth of our Savior.”…

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