So we can't call them CHRISTMAS trees anymore?

Gotta be P.C. and call them FAMILY trees? Anyone seen this Lowe's circular?

http://mediaserver2.afa.net/twb2007/lowescatalog.pdf

 

I think it's more marketing than "PC-ness"...you can sell family trees to anyone, whether or not they celebrate Christmas!

 

Disagree. This is BAD marketing and totally PC. I think many companies are experiencing backlashes against this kind of wimpyness and stupidity. They are Christmas trees used to celebrate Christmas. Wow. Tough concept, but we don't want to "offend" anyone now, do we?

Wouldn't you have loved to be at the marketing meeting where they made this decision?

 

Actually...it was a pagan/Druid tradition to decorate evergreens around the winter solstice long before Christianity came along...I guess calling them Pagan Trees and wishing everyone a Merry Samhaim wouldn't fly...

 

actually it would be "Merry Yule" ... Samhain is Halloween

thus endeth the pagen lesson for today

 

Samhaim is also the Celtic word for November...and the festival aligned with the beginning of winter in ancient Ireland... Yule is Germanic...

 

Jeez man, next year it wont be holloween, but family dress-up day

 

I think they just do this to irritate Bill O'Reilly.

 

O'Reilly and plenty of others. Like me.

 

BTW, what's up with the upside down tree on Page 3 ? I'd be more offended by the way that one looks than by what they are calling them.

 

Someone please explain why it's necessary to call it a "family tree" instead of a "Christmas tree." I am just trying to understand the thinking.

 

Because Christmas is offensive... don't you know anything, Silence? [/sarcasm]

 

Who cares ! Does it really impact anybody's enjoyment of the holidays that Walmart or Lowe's won't say "Christmas" in their advertising ? My enjoyment is dampened only by the fact that the decorations seemingly go up in stores right after Labor Day now. I'm not sure what is more painfully long -- the Christmas season or the Presidential primary season.

 

Oh dear Heavens... clearly it's the latter.

But yes, I have to say that stuff like this does dampen my enjoyment. I don't happen to be of a faith that celebrates Passover or Kwanzaa or the like, but I don't feel the need to ask those that do to secularize their celebration because I don't happen believe the way they do.

These ad circulars do mention "celebrating". I wonder what the heck they're celebrating.

 

Happy Ramakwanzachristmaka everybody.

qzpmal

 

I'm not sure I understand this line of reasoning...who "asked" Lowe's to "secularize a celebration?" Lowe's isn't celebrating x-mas, they're selling goods!

And what if someone (or a group of people) did "ask" Lowe's to call these holiday trees (or whatever)? They are part of the private sector, not a government agency. They can do whatever they want (within the law) in order to try and attract more customers. If they sell more because of the re-labeling, they'll probably keep doing it. If they sell fewer trees because of it, they'll probably call them Christmas trees again. That's a nice feature of free-markets.

If Lowe's wanted to, they could advertise a wide-selection of nativities, with three gigantic wooden crosses in front of the store to haul in customers. They've obviously chosen a different strategy though.

 

Sure... I don't disagree. They can do whatever they want. Just like Chick-Fil-A and Curves can be closed on Sunday.

 

Sharse,

If Lowe's took your approach I'll bet they would have a percent increase over last year, hands down! Word of mouth would spread to all who support "Christmas" and maybe they would have more business than ever!

 

I love the free market and agree Lowe's can do whatever they want. I guess I see this as indicative of larger trends in our society that are just plain silly.

We are now stripping everything of its original/Christian content so that Muslims and others won't be offended. So we can no longer sing Christmas songs in school because of religious content (have you been to holiday programs where there are NO songs that even mention Christmas? Bleh.). We no longer say Merry Christmas, it's happy holidays. We apparently don't have Christmas trees, they are now family trees. It's excessive pandering and renders many aspects of the season--which used to actually have a special feel and meaning--bland.

For perspective, no one can ultimately take away the true meaning of Christmas from anyone, so I'm not brooding in a corner over some Lowe's ad. Nor do I want the government to legislate morality or designate this as a "Christian nation." But I guess what saddens me a bit is that my son is growing up in a society and culture that is entirely different than the one I grew up in...and therefore doesn't feel and experience many of the things we cherished as kids. That's all.

 

I agree Silence. Found this interesting though... apparently Lowe's is aplogizing and calls the ad a mistake:

http://amerpundit.com/2007/11/13/lowes-apologizes-for-family-trees/

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58684

That is one heck of an editing mistake... or is it a cop-out?