Activists on all sides of the political spectrum are taking shots at various aspects of the Holiday season. For example, environmentalists are pushing Buy Nothing Day, an international moratorium on shopping that urges people to curtail their consumption in the interest of the environment. On the other side of the isle we have the American Family Association's Project Merry Christmas, who have targeted stores like Lowe's for advertising "family trees" instead of Christmas trees in its catalog. Lowe's capitulated and offered that it was a "breakdown" in their proofreading that led to the use of "family trees" in place of Christmas trees.
In Australia, a department-store Santa Claus was told not to say "Ho, ho, ho" because it might be offensive to women. Swerving to the right again we have Pat Robertson, who feels that wreaths and Christmas trees are pagan relics and not an important part of the Christian tradition.
All of this bickering over which Christmas symbols and traditions are worthy has put retailers in a precarious situation. And making matters worse are factors such as rising gas prices, a sinking dollar and the credit crises. As a result, 27% of shoppers say they will be spending less this year.
