Cane

School Gift Shop Bans Candy Canes and Santa Claus

Opinion by Catholic League
(November 19, 2009) in Religion / Religion in Society
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the latest war on Christmas:

The Byam Elementary School in Chelmsford, Massachusetts recently asked parents to donate holiday gifts to its holiday gift shop; the shopping days are December 1-4. Shopping guidelines informed that “Seasonal items such as snowmen, mittens, snowflakes are a big hit.” But it also had a list of “Items NOT Permitted.” The school was very specific about which items it considers taboo: “No Christmas, Chanukah or religious items,” and “No Santa, candy canes or stockings.” How snowmen made the cut but stockings did not was not explained.

The school, of course, is observing Christmas by closing, yet it is not allowing Christmas gifts to be sold in its holiday gift shop, thus making it inexplicable why gifts celebrating the holiday being celebrated are banned.

Some may see this as simply absurd. We don’t. We see it as pernicious: in the name of diversity and inclusion, the multicultural tyrants get to do what they have always wanted to do—censor Christmas. Parents upset by this authoritarian decision are meeting soon to overturn the ban. Give them support and let Dr. Jane Gilmore, the school’s principal, know how you feel.
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School Gift Shop Bans Candy Canes and Santa Claus

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  • Doublecheck
    On the christmas thing:

    I am fully in support of banning religious messages in school , but I am also of the opinion that mainstream Christmas has been divorced almost entirely of Christianity. I am an atheist but a cultural christian (to borrow someone's phrase, don't remember whose), and I see no problem with schools selling santas and candy canes.

    - DoublecheckUS November 19, 2009 11:07AM

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    • RandyW
      Majority does not care

      Atheist comprise approx .00000001% of the people in this country... and since you believe in "no religion ", why do you care one way or another?

      Sounds like you're a rebel without a cause.

      - RandyWUS December 4, 2009 10:35PM

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      • Russell Fine
        Where do you get your numbers?

        According to recent research, atheists comprise over 10% of the U.S. population. Seriously.

        - Russell FineUS December 4, 2009 11:24PM

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      • Doublecheck
        A minority of .0001%

        would truly be a rebel :_P and the cause is freedom of thought.

        But it is irrelevant because there are more atheists than that. Maybe not ten percent (which I bet is a high estimate), but certainly several millions in the US alone.

        - DoublecheckUS December 5, 2009 2:27AM

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  • GreenBean
    Gasp!

    Chanukah is included in this "censoring" as well. Where is all the Jewish outrage?

    - GreenBeanUS November 19, 2009 11:09AM

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  • tvljr
    Bill Donohue

    Bill Donohue is an embarassment to Catholicism and to all Catholics who don't agree with his ranting screeds against all things he deems anti-Catholic. The man is a complete moron and the shame is non-Catholics think he is representative of the rest of us. Rest assured, he is not.

    - tvljrUS November 20, 2009 11:57AM

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  • cbooh
    stupid, stupid

    I think the parents who see nothing wrong with a candy cane or stocking should just remove their children from that stupid school !!!

    - cboohUS November 21, 2009 4:07PM

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  • pat hayes
    Bless this candy

    Both the Byam school and Bill Donohue are completely confused. There is nothing even remotely religious about candy canes, stockings or Santa. To think so, is to give over far too much to the Catholic propaganda machine. I would love to see a pointer to any carving or painting in any Christian place of worship which refers, directly or indirectly, to candy canes as a religious symbol.

    - pat hayesUS November 30, 2009 4:19PM

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