Their bottom line, Macy's Department Stores, remembered, and so they meekly surrendered. The phase "Merry Christmas" again will appear in Macy's store signage and advertising. The Committee to Save Merry Christmas, which launched a boycott that I enthusiastically supported, announced the good news and graciously lauded the decision.

The Committee�s stated goal is �to preserve the culture and tradition of the vast majority of Americans that celebrate and honor Christmas�. a nationally declared federal holiday that has been observed from the inception of our nation.� 

The Committee deems the "intentional and deliberate exclusion of 'Merry Christmas' in...advertising and decorations� extremely offensive to the culture and tradition of Americans who honor and celebrate Christmas.�

In the Committee�s words:  �Each Christmas season, every kind of decoration, advertising gimmick and sales promotion is hoisted upon the general public ...directing the public to purchase their merchandise for the Christmas celebration...all the while never mentioning the word, �Christmas.� This deliberate and intentional exclusion of �Merry Christmas�...with substitute un-celebratory phases is thoughtless, condescending and hurtful.�

Therefore, the Committee asks this question:  �Should you--the purchasing public--who honors the American tradition and culture of Christmas, continue to purchase Christmas gifts from [merchants] when they deliberately and intentionally refuse to acknowledge Christmas?�

The Committee�s answer is no, of course.

In a letter to The Committee, Louis Meunier, Macy�s executive vice president for external affairs, said: �I understand your concerns about our use of �Merry Christmas,�� adding that Macy�s advertising and in-store signage will include the word �Christmas� in its television advertising jingle, on gift cards and in print ads.

So The Committee ended the boycott against Macy's and also announced that it is leading a national boycott against Sears Department Stores this year, because the international retailer �has rejected several requests that �Merry Christmas� signs be returned and posted in their stores� and to their advertising.

The Committee explained: "Over the past several years, Sears has systematically removed references to Merry Christmas. Inviting us to shop for Christmas gifts yet eliminating Merry Christmas is offensive to the sensibilities of millions of average Americans. It's the height of hypocrisy for Sears to make tens of millions of dollars selling Christmas presents, yet coldly refuse to acknowledge Christmas."

So it is!

�Merry Christmas� is a joyous greeting referencing a national holiday.

Banning it is an abomination.

Especially in a nation in which about 85% of the people identify themselves as Christians.

Macy's had dropped �Merry Christmas� purportedly because it did not want to offend non-Christians, insulting Christians in the name of political correctness and banking on Christian passivity to keep the price  for pandering to secular extremism below the price of using the words �Merry Christmas.�.

The statement initially issued in response to the boycott--that "phrases like

�Season�s Greetings� and �Happy Holidays� embrace all religious and ethnic celebrations that take place in November and December and are more appropriate for the many diverse cultures in America today�--is inoperative.

Christians, be smart shoppers!  Take your business to �Merry Christmas�-friendly merchants.  The anti-Christian merchants will quickly recalculate and end the ban or suffer the wrath of shareholders of whatever religious attitude.

Jews, if they won't say "Happy Hanukkah" in the store, go right back out the door.

Revised strategy: Shop again at Macy's, if you please. Stop shopping at Sears. And target Target Department Stores, which even ban Salvation Army bell ringers from Target premises.

SHOP SMART!