A Victory for "Christmas"

Several weeks ago, I featured a blog about a New York State city who had changed the name of their annual Christmas parade, to make it more “inclusive.” Well, their desire for being inclusive really, really, really didn’t work—if you go by numbers of people who attended!

The annual Patchogue, New York, annual parade of boats on a Long Island river that dropped “Christmas” from its name has apparently lost lots of supporters. About 1,000 people showed up Sunday for the Patchogue Boat Parade of Lights. That’s 500 fewer than usually showed up when it was called the Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade.

Brookhaven-based fireworks company Fireworks by Grucci dropped its sponsorship after the Greater Patchogue Foundation removed “Christmas” from the parade’s name. The change was made after some residents complained the name wasn’t inclusive enough.

Grucci vice president Philip Butler opposes the secularization of Christmas. His supporters encouraged area residents to stay away from the parade on Patchogue River.

Well, the way I see it, in two years, the inclusiveness of their decision will kill the annual parade and it will be no more. Maybe as it should be! Or, do you think the parade officials will listen to the majority of people and change the name back to what had worked for years?

I’m going to keep watching this and see what happens in the future.

Dropping the name “Christmas” to be inclusive? Give me a break!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Christmas season, I mean holiday season, I mean the season of giving unnecessary gifts going into debt for no apparent reason, is about to begin.

You can tell. The news media is beginning to tell us about the idiotic trend of removing the word “Christmas” from everything. It happens every year and just seems to get worse and worse every year. First, we couldn’t celebrate Christmas in school. Then, we couldn’t celebrate Christmas at the mall. Then, it was the courthouse square, no Christmas decorations were appropriate unless every other know religion or denomination or protest group had the same opportunity to decorate.

Well, the first report I’ve seen of this happening this year comes from Patchogue, New York (should we be surprised that it comes from New York. Probably not.)

It has been reported that a famed fireworks company is pulling out of a “holiday” boat parade because “Christmas” was dropped from the event’s name.

Fireworks by Grucci won’t lend its sparkle to Patchogue’s November 23 parade—decorated yachts on the Patchogue River—because the organizers have renamed it the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade. It was the Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade last year, when the Grucci company donated $5,000 worth of fireworks.

The company’s vice president, Philip Butler, who has criticized the secularization of Christmas in the past, said parade organizers were “using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes.” Good for Mr. Butler!

Organizers in the town on Long Island, near New York City, said the parade has had several names over its roughly 15-year existence. The name was changed again this year after complaints that the use of “Christmas” seemed to make the parade less inclusive.

Now, I will admit that when I think of Christmas I don’t always think about fireworks. I’ll also have to say to the New York town that when I think of Christmas that I also don’t think about decorating boats!

Christmas is not about trees, presents, going into debt, Santa Claus, elves, reindeer, church attendance, families getting together, or even special musical services at church. No. Not a one of those things is Christmas. They may be focused on around the month of December, but they aren’t Christmas.

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. That simple. That complex. Christmas is all about His birth.

So, thank you Patchogue, New York, for helping me to remember, even on October 27, what Christmas is really about. I hope you have a good parade. You are free, in America, to celebrate anything and everything. That is your right. Have fun. Decorate. Enjoy. I’m all in favor of it. At the same time, I have a right not to attend a holiday event, parade, or sale.

I’ll live out my convictions, both with the choices of where I go and where I spend my money. That’s my right.

Merry Christmas Patchogue, New York!