Growing up I had the pleasure of attending both public and Catholic school. I went to public school for kindergarten through third grade, and switched to Catholic school from third grade through high school. In second grade, I recall crystal-clear memories of coloring in pictures of dreidels and menorahs for Hanukkah along with Christmas trees and stars. What a difference a year makes.

It’s 1993 and I’m sitting in an uncomfortable desk as Sister Mary Clifford commands attention from the front of the classroom. “Sparkle Season,” is all she could muster from her mouth as a tight grimace formed across her face. She took a deep breath, and then explained to us that she was disgusted with the city of Pittsburgh for its crusade against Christmas with the marketing campaign for Sparkle Season. My holiday run-ins didn’t stop there. I still remember being on student council in 8th grade, planning for the big school dance. Since it was in October, one would think that a Halloween theme was an obvious route. Well, not for our bishop. That year, I had a great time dancing to the Macarena at our “Fall Harvest.” Avoiding Halloween decorations like the plague at Party City became somewhat of a laborious task. It seemed fickle to me that they’d want to control the marketing messages of retailers for one holiday, while completely striking another from the record books.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Catholic school upbringing as much as the next guilty-conscious Catholic you know, but all these debates about how retailers should configure their December marketing tactics are getting old. The statement “Happy Holidays” does not personally offend me much like “Merry Christmas” does not offend my good Jewish friend Molly. When groups like the American Family Association and the Catholic League decided to boycott Wal-Mart when it changed its greeting to Happy Holidays, one can see the economic impact these decisions can have on a retailer’s bottom line. The following year, Wal-Mart’s advertising was back touting the “reason for the season,” as it switched to Merry Christmas. Could everyone just lighten up and enjoy the CHRISTMAS YouTube video at the top of this post?

Do you think it’s fair that marketers must walk the tight rope of including all Americans while trying not to offend Bill O’Reilly?

-Pat

Electronic Retailer’s eMedia editor Pat Cauley gets in the holiday spirit with his Jewish friend Molly.

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