The Christmas Wars have started in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. City officials have decided that a sign marking the entrance to the Christmas Holiday Market is offensive. The City’s Managing director has been bombarded with calls regarding the change, while irate (normal) Philadelphians have been excoriating City Managing director Rich Negrin and others for the change in the sign.
The market, modeled after the German Christmas markets, has not only a large German holiday ornament store, but also a variety of vendors of many faiths plying their wares. I even bought my Christmas (!) tree there the day after Christmas, and enjoyed looking at the various vendors. I must admit, however, that I didn’t even notice the then still standing Christmas village sign.
All of these Christmas battles every year don’t seem to help people learn about other “holiday” traditions or becoming more tolerant. They only seem to fuel fake “Christmas Wars,” and make people more polarized. Besides, no one complained the last two years the sign was up. To add insult to injury, the tree lighting would have been tonight, the first night of Hanukkah. Mother nature has moved that to tomorrow night because of the rain. Can’t we just have a sign up with every holiday in December? After Mayor Rizzo, bombings, and the grinchy police, Philadelphia can take a little Christmas. After all, we are the city of Brotherly Love, right? There is room for every religious holiday in this town of immigrants.
Besides, I am already taking dibs on how long baby Jesus is going to last in the Nativity Scene at JFK plaza. Bounty out for anyone who takes the statue out on a tour of Philly’s finest bars… with Twitpics!
