<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Defend Christmas &#187; Christmas in Public</title>
	<atom:link href="http://defendchristmas.com/category/christmas-in-public/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://defendchristmas.com</link>
	<description>The War on the War on Christmas</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:33:09 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Threats of Anti-Christmas Activity Surfaces Early in 2012</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2012/03/06/threats-of-anti-christmas-activity/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2012/03/06/threats-of-anti-christmas-activity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:18:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=657</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over the past four weeks DefendChristmas.com has received a steady stream of threats about anti-Christmas protests and activities in 2012. This is the earliest such threats have been received. The threats center around some of the most noteworthy events in the media&#8217;s declared &#8220;war on Christmas&#8221; from last year from nativity scenes on public lands [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone href="http://defendchristmas.com/2012/03/06/threats-of-anti-christmas-activity/"></g:plusone></div><p>Over the past four weeks DefendChristmas.com has received a steady stream of threats about anti-Christmas protests and activities in 2012. This is the earliest such threats have been received. The threats center around some of the most noteworthy events in the media&#8217;s declared &#8220;war on Christmas&#8221; from last year from nativity scenes on public lands in California and Texas and to Christian-themed displays in Warren, Michigan. </p>
<p>&#8220;We receive word of planned protests all the time,&#8221; noted Jeff Westover of <a href="http://mymerrychristmas.com" target="_blank">My Merry Christmas.com</a>, a sister site to DefendChristmas.com. &#8220;But what makes these notices unique is that they are coming so early in the year, they appear to be coordinated and we&#8217;re receiving them through multiple sites in our network. Someone out there wants people to know Christmas 2012 will be anything but peaceful.&#8221;</p>
<p>Two events seemed to dominate the season of 2011: a famous annual display in Santa Monica, California was displaced in 2011 and replaced by a largely atheist-themed holiday display. A traditional nativity scene was included in that display but it was considerably smaller and notably located far from its usual prominent spot. City officials there said the organizations behind that change either filed late or were simply picked last in a lottery that determined display placement. </p>
<p>Another high-profile event of 2011 was about a nativity display on a courthouse lawn in Athens, Texas where national news organizations provided coverage when thousands of Christians rallied to support the display. The Freedom from Religion Foundation lost that battle and many of the emails coming in claim they will not be denied in 2012.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Texas display is the one that still keeps the email flowing,&#8221; Westover confirms. &#8220;Election year politics are usually blamed for an increase in anti-Christmas sentiment and this year it will be worse because of so many anti-religious ties in the political discourse. With the President&#8217;s controversial proposals requring religious-based employers to provide abortion and contraceptive services in insurance plans the anti-religion rhetoric is at an all-time high and we expect that to carry over into Christmas in a bigger way in 2012.&#8221; </p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://defendchristmas.com/2012/03/06/threats-of-anti-christmas-activity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Human Christmas Tree Gets Around Decoration Rules</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/24/human-christmas-tree-gets-around-decoration-rules/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/24/human-christmas-tree-gets-around-decoration-rules/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:26:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bah Humbug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=655</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A ban on Christmas decorations this year at the Staten Island ferry terminal in a bid to avoid lawsuits sparked an unusual protest Friday. Self-proclaimed activist and Staten Island resident Scott LoBaido found a loophole in the rule imposed at the transit hub by the Department of Transportation and dressed up as a seven-foot Christmas [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone href="http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/24/human-christmas-tree-gets-around-decoration-rules/"></g:plusone></div><p> A ban on Christmas decorations this year at the Staten Island ferry terminal in a bid to avoid lawsuits sparked an unusual protest Friday.</p>
<p>Self-proclaimed activist and Staten Island resident Scott LoBaido found a loophole in the rule imposed at the transit hub by the Department of Transportation and dressed up as a seven-foot Christmas tree, sparking smiles and cheers, myFOXny.com reported.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just a costume,&#8221; he said from inside the tree which was decorated with tinsel and baubles. &#8220;You ever come by here on Halloween? People have the craziest costumes.</p>
<p>This just happens to be what I&#8217;m wearing today.&#8221;</p>
<p>He called the department&#8217;s edict, introduced last week for safety reasons, as &#8220;political correctness gone crazy.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A simple Christmas tree brings so much joy,&#8221; LoBaido said while wandering the St. George terminal.</p>
<p>LoBaido told the New York Daily News he spent nearly $400 on the costume, using mostly chicken wire, duct tape and &#8220;a lot of battery-operated lights.&#8221;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/24/human-christmas-tree-gets-around-decoration-rules/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>FFRF Goes After Michigan City Now</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/20/ffrf-goes-after-michigan-city-now/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/20/ffrf-goes-after-michigan-city-now/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:24:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religious Discrimination]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=649</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At the center of yet another atheist-led drama is a nativity that is currently stationed inside Warren, Michigan City Hall. If the Christian-based imagery is going to be present, atheists contend that the town must also allow other religions displays that represent different viewpoints. The Freedom from Religion Foundation &#8212; making headlines and threats coast-to-coast [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone href="http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/20/ffrf-goes-after-michigan-city-now/"></g:plusone></div><p>At the center of yet another atheist-led drama is a nativity that is currently stationed inside Warren, Michigan City Hall. If the Christian-based imagery is going to be present, atheists contend that the town must also allow other religions displays that represent different viewpoints. The Freedom from Religion Foundation &#8212; making headlines and threats coast-to-coast this Christmas &#8212; has promised legal action if they continue to be ignored on the issue. </p>
<p>So, to level the playing field, they wish to post a sign that says (you may recall this same message from other nativity dramas, as this is frequently used by the FFRF):</p>
<p>“At this season of the Winter Solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”</p>
<p>Douglas Marshall, a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is claiming that Warren Mayor Jim Fouts is discriminating against atheists and nonbelievers, while engaging in illegal censorship. So far, the mayor has ignored Marshall’s requests to post the sign.</p>
<p>While the local atheist has apparently tried to place the sign inside city hall, it has been removed, as he does not have the permission to do so. If Fouts continues to ignore the request to place the sign inside of the government building, the FFRF has pledged to file a lawsuit in the coming days.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/20/ffrf-goes-after-michigan-city-now/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Post Office Bans Christmas Carolers</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/post-office-bans-christmas-carolers/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/post-office-bans-christmas-carolers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:14:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bah Humbug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church & State]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political Correctness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A group of Christmas carolers was thrown out of a U.S. Post Office in Silver Spring, MD, after the post office manager told them they were not allowed to sing Christmas carols on government property. A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service confirmed the incident occurred Saturday at a branch office in the Aspen Hill [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone href="http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/post-office-bans-christmas-carolers/"></g:plusone></div><p>A group of Christmas carolers was thrown out of a U.S. Post Office in Silver Spring, MD, after the post office manager told them they were not allowed to sing Christmas carols on government property.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service confirmed the incident occurred Saturday at a branch office in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. A trio of carolers walked into the building dressed in attire reminiscent of Charles Dickens and began singing.</p>
<p>“They were only a few notes into their carol when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a scowling postal manager rushing to confront the carolers,” said JP Duffy, who was standing in a line with his wife and two-year-old daughter.</p>
<p>Duffy, who also happens to be a staff member of the Family Research Council, said he was stunned by what happened next.</p>
<p>“He told them that they had to leave immediately because they were violating the post office’s policy against solicitation,” Duffy said. “He told them they couldn’t do this on government property. He said: ‘You can’t go into Congress and sing and you can’t do it here either.’”</p>
<p>A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service’s Capital Metro ARea said the carolers had “beautiful voices” but were told they could not perform in the lobby.</p>
<p>“Public assembly and public address, except when conducted or sponsored by the Postal Service, are prohibited in lobbies and other interior areas open to the public,” the spokesperson told Fox News &#038; Commentary.</p>
<p>“We have rules and regulations governing conduct on postal property,” the spokesman said. “The only reason you should be inside is for postal business.”</p>
<p>The carolers explained that they had been performing at businesses in the shopping center for several years – including the post office – and they’ve never encountered any problems. But the post office employee refused to budge and ordered them to leave.</p>
<p>Duffy said that customers standing in line began to boo the postal worker.</p>
<p>“Over the last several years, we have watched militant secularists team up with federal bureaucrats in the effort to sterilize the public square of anything remotely connected to anything religious,” Duffy said. “This postal manager has clearly received the memo which has led him to stamp out Christmas caroling.  But I have my own memo to all the Christmas carolers out there.  Let’s not surrender to the secularist version of Christmas future.”</p>
<p>Duffy suggested that the U.S. Post Office follow the advice of its founder – Benjamin Franklin.</p>
<p>“So shalt thou always live jollily; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas,” Franklin once wrote.</p>
<p>“This is good advice that the U.S. Post Office and all of us would do well to heed,” Duffy said.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/post-office-bans-christmas-carolers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What if You Put a Nativity Scene in an Occupy Camp?</title>
		<link>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/what-if-you-put-a-nativity-scene-in-an-occupy-camp/</link>
		<comments>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/what-if-you-put-a-nativity-scene-in-an-occupy-camp/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:46:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christmas in Public]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://defendchristmas.com/?p=641</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The crowd at Occupy DC had to deal with a little demonstration of their own on Sunday, December 18th. Their reactions are priceliess:]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone href="http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/what-if-you-put-a-nativity-scene-in-an-occupy-camp/"></g:plusone></div><p>The crowd at Occupy DC had to deal with a little demonstration of their own on Sunday, December 18th. Their reactions are priceliess:</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a5fRawyh1Ik" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://defendchristmas.com/2011/12/19/what-if-you-put-a-nativity-scene-in-an-occupy-camp/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

