Saving Christmas now seems a popular idea

http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/view.bg?articleid=13705

Saving Christmas now seems a popular idea
By Chris Stevens
Thursday, November 16, 2006

LYNNFIELD - When The Coalition to Save Christmas in Massachusetts set out to "thwart the imminent abolition of Christmas," it had no idea it would strike such a nerve, but it is very merry that the idea has snowballed.
Brothers Robert and Kevin Marley of Lynnfield and their childhood friend Steven Ciambelli of Revere launched their mission to rescue Christmas from "the secular community" earlier this month.
It was an incident last Christmas however that set the project in motion.
Ciambelli said it began when Robert Marley noticed none of the malls were sporting "Christmas" decorations, or Hanukah or Kwanzaa adornments for that matter.
"Then he told me a story about how a cashier at one store wouldn't say Merry Christmas," he said, "because she said she would be fired if she did."
Ciambelli said it was too late in the year to try and make a difference then, so instead they focused on starting early for this Christmas.
"We figured we'd make some noise, picket a few malls," he said. "We thought we'd get 20, maybe 30, guys to help us."
He was wrong. The group has instead received such widespread support it has both thrilled and surprised them.
Since word has gotten out about themission Ciambelli said the phone hasn't stopped ringing and their email is flooded with responses from all over the country.
Initially the group planned to picket Simon Malls on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the largest shopping day of the year.
Simon Malls include the Square One Mall in Saugus, North Shore Mall in Peabody and the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, but Ciambelli said that has changed.
"There's been a lot of progress," he said. "A lot of big companies are listening."
Ciambelli said that after the group spoke with Square One Mall Manager Ken Brown, Brown agreed to make changes in the malls decorations.
"We probably won't picket now because he's doing the right thing," he said. "We want to show him some respect."
Brown was not available for comment.
The coalition, over 100 strong, met Thursday at Spinelli's in Lynnfield however to determine what its next move would be.
"It's just organizational," he said. "It's a pre-demonstration rally to talk about a few things."
Ciambelli said despite what some people think the group is not trying push their Christianity on society. They are all about equal opportunity holidays. On their website, www.savingchristmasinmass.homestead.com, the group points out there are three holidays celebrated in December, Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa and claim that all three should be recognized.
"It's an insult," Ciambelli said. "(Corporations) don't mind benefiting from the season, but they won't mention it out loud. I don't know who they're trying to protect."
Ciambelli estimates that 95 percent of the population in the state is made up of Christians celebrating Christmas, Jew's celebrating Hanukah or African-Americans celebrating Kwanzaa.
"If they left all of the holidays alone who would they offend?" he asked.
Ciambelli said the group has received a few emails from atheists arguing that religion should be removed from Christmas all together.
That notion makes Ciambelli laugh.
"It's Christmas," he said. "It is religious. We're not pushing Christianity or our Catholic beliefs. Christmas just shouldn't be taken away."