"It's the whole peace-on-earth and goodwill-toward-man thing. It lifts us up when people can say 'Merry Christmas' without worrying about whether it's politically correct," said Jennifer Giroux, a Cincinnati entrepreneur. She began marketing rubber bracelets urging "Just Say 'Merry Christmas' " last December; this season, she has sold more than 50,000, at $2 apiece.
I don't know. Somehow I thought "peace on earth" and "goodwill toward man" had more expansive meanings. But you take what you can get, I guess. Go for the bucks.
"It's never been about the money," says Giroux, who plans to donate her profits to charity. Like the American Family Association, perhaps. Who knows.
Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, said he was delighted with the revenue from "War on Christmas" merchandise, which supplemented the ministry's $13 million annual budget. All 500,000 buttons and 125,000 magnets were sold out by early December. "It was very successful for us," Wildmon said.
So there you go. Just like most merchandisers, the Christianists make most of their money on Christmas.
In fact, the fund-raising went so well that the religious right plans to branch out. Next up: The war on Easter.
Scouts for the American Family Association, which is based in Tupelo, Miss., will keep a keen eye out for stores that promote "spring baskets" or "spring bonnets" instead of celebrating Christ's resurrection. The group already has laid in a stash of Easter buttons, bearing three gold crosses and the words "He Lives."
Meanwhile, the way I see it, you can say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" or whatever else you want. No matter which you pick, someone will think you're a dork.
And here's wishing you all a Good Yule.
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