It came as a major “hum-bug” to church fundraisers last year in Murfeesboro, Tennessee. A city ordinance limiting Christmas-tree sales threatened a decades-old tradition for local churches who used the seasonal event to raise funds. This week the city council gave them a little “Christmas-in-July” present.

Churches and other institutions can sell Christmas trees now that Murfreesboro City Council approved changes to zoning regulations allowing the seasonal sales.

The new regulations will allow for the sale of Christmas trees during the appropriate season, as well as require limitations to on-site lighting from parking lots and athletic fields. The new regulations would limit the amount of light pollution that spills into neighboring residential areas.

In October of last year, the council unanimously passed proposed changes to outdoor vendor regulations that limit the length of time temporary food or retail vendors can sell their wares to 70 days in a 12-month period from six months.

The regulations also dealt with outdoor sales of food or retail merchandise, fireworks seasonal retailers and seasonal Christmas tree sales.

The new zoning regulations, which only pertained to churches before, will now be extended to include schools, public buildings, clubs and recreational areas.

Liberty Counsel, an advocacy group supporting traditional family values, just published their 5th Annual Naughty & Nice List highlighting those retailers avoiding use of the word “Christmas”. The aim of the campaign is to draw attention to the slow decay of support of Christmas as a religious celebration in America. Here are this year’s offenders:

1. Ace Hardware
2. Banana Republic
3. Bloomingdale’s
4. Circuit City
5. Dick’s Sporting Goods
6. Gap
7. Giant Eagle Pharmacy
8. Hollister Co.
9. Home Depot
10. J. Crew Outfitters
11. Kmart
12. Kohls
13. Lane Bryant
14. Marshalls
15. Nordstrom
16. Office Max
17. Old Navy
18. Petsmart
19. Sears
20. Shopko
21. Sprint