Thread: Gov of Rhode Island Removes Christmas - Hanukkah is in, Kwanzaa is in, Christmas OUT

Hanukkah is in, Kwanzaa is in, Santa Claus is in, but Christmas is out

Governor of Rhode Island Removes “Christmas” Again

Liberty Counsel
Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Providence, RI – For the second year, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee will not use “Christmas” to describe the evergreen tree decorated to celebrate December 25.

“Governor, what do you call a green, pointed, prickly tree we decorate in December?

Everyone except for the governor knows it’s a Christmas tree,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.

Originally, the governor’s office canceled the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony after last year’s controversy, when he refused to acknowledge “Christmas” during the tree lighting ceremony. Just 24 hours later, the annual event was rescheduled.

“Renaming a Christmas tree to a ‘Holiday tree’ is political correctness run amok,” said Staver. “A Menorah is associated with Hanukkah. Its name should not be changed. Santa and his sleigh appear during December bearing Christmas gifts. His name and those of his reindeer entourage should not be changed. Everyone knows that an evergreen tree decorated with lights and ornaments in December is a Christmas tree. The only reason to change the name is due to crass bigotry and ignorance,” said Staver.

Spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger said that the governor believes “holiday” is more inclusive. “For these inclusiveness advocates, Hanukkah is in, Kwanzaa is in, Santa Claus is in, but Christmas is out,” said Staver. “Lighting a ‘holiday’ tree is not inclusive, it is divisive and hypocritical.” Bah, Humbug!

Liberty Counsel launched its tenth annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign” to educate and, if necessary, litigate to make sure religious viewpoints are not censored during Christmas. Liberty Counsel provides information about Christmas at www.LC.org and a “Naughty & Nice” list, which overviews retailers that acknowledge Christmas and those that do not.

Governor of Rhode Island Removes “Christmas” Again

Join Our "Friend or Foe" Christmas Campaign Read More...

November 14, 2012

Liberty Counsel Launches the Tenth Annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign”


www.LC.org

Orlando, FL – Today Liberty Counsel is launching its tenth annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign,” pledging to be a “Friend” to those who recognize Christmas and a “Foe” to those who censor it.

Liberty Counsel has helped overturn a number of grinch-like decisions, including nativity scenes which were banned from public property, senior living centers banning elderly residents from singing Christmas carols, public schools which sought to ban students from wearing the Christmas colors of red and green, school officials who censored religious words from Christmas carols, companies which renamed Christmas trees to “holiday trees,” and Christmas parades renamed to “holiday” parades. In all of these situations, Liberty Counsel successfully educated and reversed these anti-Christmas sentiments.

Liberty Counsel offers a Help Save Christmas™ action pack, which includes educational legal memoranda to educate government officials, teachers, parents, students, private businesses, employees, and others that it is legal to celebrate Christmas. The action pack also includes an “I ♥ CHRISTmas™” button, an “I Helped Save Christmas” bumper sticker and button, and sample ads for use in local newspapers. The ads point out that celebrating Christmas is perfectly legal in schools, on public property, and in private businesses, and they offer Liberty Counsel’s free assistance to those facing criticism for celebrating Christmas. Many churches have placed these ads in local newspapers. Thousands of public school teachers and administrators, who are members of Christian Educators Association International, have joined Liberty Counsel’s “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign.”

As part of the annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign,” Liberty Counsel publishes a “Naughty and Nice” list, which catalogs retailers who either censor (“naughty”) or recognize (“nice”) Christmas. The list is compiled from information gathered by individual consumers and is updated whenever new information is received. Liberty Counsel wants to give the gift of Christmas back to those who support it.

“Renaming a Christmas tree to a holiday tree, stopping students from wearing red and green, and censoring religious Christmas carols are absurd, but true, examples of the war against Christmas,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.

“Over the past few years, the ‘Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign’ has successfully put the ‘grinches’ on the run. This year millions of Americans will join us to help save Christmas. If a government entity censors Christmas in violation of the Constitution, then we will first seek to educate but, if necessary, we will litigate. If retailers choose to profit from Christmas while pretending it does not exist, then we will patronize their competitors.”

Liberty Counsel

Click here > Pray for our nation

Pray for our nation

Gov. Jan Brewer

Monday


This morning I hosted the lighting of the Christmas Tree that is inside our Capitol building...and yes...I do call it a Christmas Tree!!

In my first year as Governor, I issued an Executive Order that encourages the celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah and prohibits any censorship of these religious holidays. I encourage you to read and share the executive order with your family and friends: http://azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/EO_2009_11.pdf

As you may know, in the past, state and local officials in Arizona (and elsewhere) have attempted to strip both Christmas and Hanukkah of their meaning, including establishment of policies forbidding state employees from placing religious items of celebration at their desks, re-naming Christmas trees as “holiday” trees, and renaming Menorahs as “candlesticks.”

Under my administration, I call things what they are...a Christmas Tree and a Menorah... and will gladly allow both Christmas and Hanukkah to be celebrated at the State Capitol. I encourage my colleagues and fellow elected officials across the nation to do the same.

Yes, Merry Christmas everyone!

www.facebook.com/govjanbrewer

Perhaps there is a reason RI is our smallest state and it would appear they don't have a lot to chose from when they are picking gubernatorial candidates. It seem they have saddled themelves with an apparently anti Christian Grinch. Poor things.

I think that there are more positive stories about Christmas trees than there are negative but they are not getting the headlines from the MSM (including FOX) So I am going to try to post every POSITIVE Christmas tree article that I see on this thread .

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting 2012: Jersey takes pride in Mount Olive spruce
By Brendan Kuty/NJ.com
on November 29, 2012


NEW YORK — Before the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree ushered America into the holiday season Wednesday night, before its 80-foot frame shined brighter than a Fourth of July sky, it had to pass one last brutal test.

Wind whipped through its branches. Heavy rain soaked the ground at its base, loosening the dirt at its old roots. Trees around it cracked and snapped and fell, destroying power lines, homes and cars.

But like the state where it grew, it withstood Hurricane Sandy. And that's what made it special to Jim Daggon.

"A lot of big trees came down," Daggon said. "This one was kind of like the rest of New Jersey — it stood tall."

Daggon and his wife, Jill, were part of a group of more than 200 people who left on buses from Mount Olive and braved the cold at Rockefeller Center for the 80th annual celebration.

And they were among a greater group of New Jerseyans in the crowd of thousands, packed like army luggage on side streets and before the stage where Al Roker and Savanna Guthrie of the "Today Show" led the final countdown.

Some were from the shore, where Sandy left scars that will last for years. Others were from parts of the state where damage was minimal, but electricity took a week, sometimes two, to return to their homes. And some were fortunate, watching the carnage from their TVs.
Norway spruce cut down in New Jersey for 2012 Rockefeller Center Christmas treeThe Rockefeller center Christmas tree was cut down in the Flanders section of Mount Olive this morning in front of several hundred wet onlookers. About a dozen crewmen tethered the giant evergreen to a crane so that when the blade runs through the trunk, the tree is lifted into the air. Late tonight, when most are asleep, a truck loaded with the 80 foot 22,000 pound evergreen, will roll over the GW Bridge and into Manhattan. Within one day, the tree will be standing once again in Rockefeller Center where it will be decorated in preparation for the lighting on Nov. 28. (Video by Andre Malok / The Star-Ledger)Watch video

From left, Point Pleasant Beach residents Jordan Todaro, Nicole Kirsch and Conor Laterza showed up to Rockefeller Center to see the tree lighting.

William Zapata stands with daughters Sophia (red bow), Angely and wife Raquel. The West New York residents took the train into Manhattan to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting.


​People pack the streets to get a closer look at the Rockefeller Center tree, which hails from Mount Olive.


Many of them, though, felt a special connection with the tree from the Flanders section of Mount Olive, where it grew on the property of Joseph Balku, who enjoyed a front-row seat to the lighting. It was the first New Jersey tree to light up Rockefeller Center since 2008.

Edy Toussaint lives on Route 206 in Mount Olive. She left a hand-written sign in her window: "Flanders lights up the NYC skies."

"Nobody's going to see it," she said. "But I had to show some pride."

It was a pride shared by Point Pleasant Beach residents Nicole Kirsch, Jordan Todaro and Conor Laterza, all age 18. Laterza said the trio was lucky enough to escape damage to their homes, but the boardwalk they grew up walking was gone.

The tree, Kirsch said, embodied her neighbors' resolve.

"I'm proud," she said. "Jersey strong."

Standing packed a bit farther down on the packed side street, coworkers Greg Schatell, formerly of Edison; Adam Giles of Union City; and Chris Hong of Cliffside Park waded through the bodies to get a closer look at a big-screen TV broadcasting the show.

Giles moved to Union City from Australia three days before the hurricane hit, and he said the country's electrical storms and brushfires couldn't compare to it. That the tree — strung up with 30,000 lights and topped with a Swarokvski star — was from the Garden State meant something, Schatell said.

"It's a sign," he said. "A lot of people have been saying, 'Jersey Strong,' and it's like a symbol of that."

William Zapata brought his wife, Raquel, and daughters, Angely and Sophia, from West New York to see the tree lighting from the first time. The father said it was inspiring how the tree went through so much and survived.

Not everybody, though, had warm memories of the state during Sandy while thinking about the tree. Mary Scharvella, of Dutchess County, N.Y., said her family's summer home in Long Beach Island was destroyed. Same went for the house Bernadette Scheible used to rent on Long Beach Island. She still remembers taking her son, Tanner, whose now in the military, and Chris, her husband, down the Jersey Shore over the years.

"It's sad," Scheible said of losing the house. Then she added it "makes your heart feel good" knowing the tree was from Jersey.

Lori Nettles and Kelly Cochran each joined the group from Mount Olive. They didn't get power back in their home for 14 days. Nettles said seeing the tree from their town bringing joy to Manhattan warmed a month that started cold and dark.

Then the friends turned for a closer look.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting 2012: Jersey takes pride in Mount Olive spruce | NJ.com

Mobile, Alabama - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Mobile holds tree lighting ceremony

Updated: Friday, 19 Nov 2010, 9:30 PM CST
Published : Friday, 19 Nov 2010, 9:30 PM CST

• Paige Malone
• 

MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - Mobile's Bienville Square was decked out in lights Friday to usher in the holiday season. The lighting of the trees brought a huge crowd and local businesses are hoping to cash in on the Christmas cheer.

Mayor Sam Jones helped Santa lead the crowd in a countdown before he flipped the switch illuminating the huge tree at the center of the park.

People didn't just come for the lights, they also enjoyed live music and even snow.

Kids lined up to sit on Santa's lap and make a special request for Christmas day. But it's not just the kids that are expecting a big Christmas, shops in the area are too.

Pat Lagrange and Becky Nance own Inside Up, a retail shop across from Bienville Square. The say they are already cashing in on the holiday season.

"Its knocking us out . We cant hardly believe we've almost surpassed what we thought wed do by the end of the month," said Lagrange.

Inside Up opened its doors at the start of the recession and feel blessed to have continued success.
"We hear about all these retail shops that are mom and pop shops that aren't doing so great. Were hanging in there, we've been busy," said Nance.

Deborah Deguire owns A&M peanuts just around the corner. She says the recession has had an affect on her business, but is planning on a busy season.

"People are at least thinking Christmas," said Deguire.

Deguire says she has already had customers talking about their Christmas orders.

Both businesses say events like the tree lighting have really brought downtown Mobile back on the map. Also, organizations like the Downtown Mobile Alliance and Mobile Arts Council have taken an initiative to bring more people into the area, which means more business.
Mobile holds tree lighting ceremony | Fox10tv.com

Orange Beach, Alabama - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Orange Beach Christmas tree lighting with kids singing holiday favorites (video)

Published: Tuesday, November 27, 2012





Rain lets up in Orange Beach for family holiday partyORANGE BEACH, Alabama -- The rain let up just in time for a Christmas tree lighting holiday party at The Wharf in Orange Beach on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012.
Watch video

ORANGE BEACH, Alabama -- The rain quit just in time, as if on cue, for an evening Christmas tree lighting at The Wharf on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012. The highlight of the ceremony and holiday celebration was area children singing Christmas favorites. Dozens of locals came out to usher in the holiday season with the official lighting of the Christmas tree at The Wharf.
​Orange Beach Christmas tree lighting with kids singing holiday favorites (video) | al.com

Detroit, MI - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LIGHT UP THE SEASON: Detroit's 2012 Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Campus Martius


Posted: 11/07/2012




DETROIT (WXYZ) - O’Christmas Tree, O’ Christmas Tree!




On November 16 at 7:30 p.m. WXYZ TV/Channel 7, along with the Detroit 300 Conservancy, presented “Light Up the Season,” the annual holiday tree lighting ceremony, live from the heart of Detroit at Campus Martius Park.
This year’s holiday tree is a 55-foot Norway Spruce from Manton, Michigan. The tree is adorned with more than 19,000 LED Lights.


Hosted by 7 Action News anchors Carolyn Clifford and Stephen Clark, “Light Up The Season” featured performances by Detroit vocalist KEM, the Michigan Philharmonic Orchestra Brass Quintet, the Detroit Skating Club, the Arctic Figure Skating Club and the Metropolitan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus, as well as a visit from Santa himself. 7 First Alert Weather Meteorologist Dave Rexroth was rink-side to bring you all the fun and festivities.


“The tree lighting ceremony has become a great tradition in the city and we’re honored to be a part of it,” said Ed Fernandez, Divisional GM, E.W. Scripps Company and Vice-President/General Manager of WXYZ. “This is what the holiday season is all about…enjoying time with family and friends, and coming together as a community.”


This Metro Detroit family tradition marks the start of Winter Magic, a season of festivities that includes the grand opening of the ice rink at Campus Martius Park, and Christmas WonderFest, a European-style holiday marketplace on Cadillac Square.



Read more: LIGHT UP THE SEASON: Detroit's 2012 Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Campus Martius

Austin,Texas - MERRY CHRISTMAS!
They are going to light it up in Austin on December 1, 2012

Giant TX Capitol Christmas Tree arrives

Tree decorations begin Tuesday

Updated: Monday, 29 Nov 2010, 2:38 PM EST
Published : Monday, 29 Nov 2010, 12:38 PM EST

• Jackie Vega
• 

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Crews put up the Capitol Christmas Tree Monday morning at the south gates of the Capitol Lawn, though the Cedar beauty from Bastrop will sit without decorations until Tuesday.

The tree will be lit on Saturday, as the Downtown Stroll and Holiday Sing-Along get under way. The Congress Avenue lighting will also happen Saturday, with the holiday lights strung across Congress Avenue from the Capitol to Cesar Chavez Street.
The evening is set to begin at 6 p.m. when the crowds are expected to gather on the south steps of the Capitol to sing the songs of the season during John Aielli’s Holiday Sing-Along.

As the clock chimes 7 p.m., the countdown begins to the lighting of the nearly 40-foot-tall Capitol tree.

Congress Avenue will be buzzing with holiday cheer during the Congress Avenue Stroll from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Shops, restaurants, galleries and museums will be open late and will feature special activities, offers or refreshments to visitors.
The Austin Bike Zoo will lead a procession from the Capitol Tree down Congress Avenue to kick off the Stroll. Performances from The Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dave Madden, Atash, the Austin Banjo Club and many more will get you in the holiday cheer.
Santa will also be on hand at Sixth Street and Congress Avenue for photos with kids of all ages.

Visitors are asked to support fellow members of the community by bringing a sealed can of peanut butter to the Capitol Christmas tree for Caritas of Austin.

Saturday's schedule:

• 6 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.: Holiday Sing-Along with John Aielli
• 6:50 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Tree and Congress Avenue Lighting
• 7 p.m to 9 p.m.: Holiday Stroll and Performances along Congress Avenue

The Sing-Along will happen at the steps of the Capitol on 11th Street and Congress Avenue, and the Stroll will happen along Congress Avenue from 11th to Third streets.
The events are free and open to the public.
Giant TX Capitol Christmas Tree arrives