The Year Conservatives Saved Christmas
We bullied stores out of "'Happy Holidays.'" Hooray?
Ted Olsen
12/07/2006

Glad tidings: Christmas is saved. Sure, this season has seen its grinches. But after last year's "holiday" attack, we've mostly run them back to Mt. Crumpit. Wal-Mart has prominently replaced last year's "Happy Holidays" greetings with "Merry Christmas," and promises 60 percent more Christmas-labeled merchandise.

"We, quite frankly, have learned a lesson from last year," a spokeswoman told USA Today. Target, Macy's, Carson Pirie Scott, and other stories are also getting out of the holiday spirit in favor of Christmas.

One of this year's early battles was short-lived. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation initially rejected a gift of 4,000 biblically themed dolls, then changed its mind after a brief uproar. "We realized it's a lot less time-consuming to find homes for the dolls than it is to answer media and complaints," foundation veep Bill Grein told The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, last year's "holiday tree" at the Michigan Capitol is once again a "Christmas tree," a once-banned nativity float has returned to Denver's Parade of Lights, and a momentary manger omission in St. Albans, West Virginia, has been rescinded.

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