'Tis the Season

Last December, we (or at least I) heard ad nauseum of the "war on Christmas" -- malls shunning the big "C" word for the more inclusive "Happy Holidays" slogan, schools renaming "Christmas Break" to "Winter Break," et cetera. Traditionalists fretted that "Christmas" would eventually vanish from the secular lexicon altogether. Others thought that it's time America tried to be a little more inclusive.

I got pretty sick of writing about the issue, frankly, but that doesn't mean the Christmas Wars are over. Wal-Mart actually trumpeted its return to "Merry Christmas" in hopes of attracting X-mas-sensitive shoppers back to its stores. Now, in a new spin, some activists in Fort Collins say the city's been too Christmas centric, refusing to allow a menorah to share city space with a Christmas tree.

So far the city has denied the request, saying the Christmas tree is more secular than religious. It also refused to erect a menorah during the eight days of Hanukkah in Fort Collins' Old Town Square last year.