A North Carolina school district is taking "Christmas" off the school calendar, and it's not sitting well with some people.
Some Christians are upset because they feel like it's stripping the religious part out of the day, while school officials say they're referring to all religious celebrations as holidays.
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It's been the subject of much debate for years. Around this time of year, do you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"? The issue is taking center stage in North Carolina right now, where one school board's decision is sparking outrage among some Christians.
The New Hanover County Board of Education recently changed its official school calendar to list Christmas and Easter as a "holiday." Click here to view the district's calendar.
"I think that they've offended a lot of people," Theresa McCoy, owner of Cox Christian Bookstore told our affiliate WECT-TV. "(They have offended) the Christians who love God and the Christians that want to talk about Christmas."
The board chairman says he thinks Christmas should be recognized, telling our affiliate, "It is a holiday and if we are going to put other holidays that are generally recognized by the general public as holidays, I don't understand why we would make a distinction about this one."
As you might imagine, this is sparking plenty of debate online. One reader supports the board's decision saying, "I DO believe in the separation of church and state and it should be enforced. I'm tired of angry Christian parents who have nothing better to do with their time than complain about something like this. They have no right to force religion upon others. It really grinds my gears that they can't see that the board was trying not to be offensive or show favoritism to any religious holiday."
Yet another writes, "That is just stupid. December 25th is Christmas Day whether one celebrates it or not. I do not celebrate Yom Kippur, but it is listed on my calendar and I am perfectly fine with that."
This certainly isn't the first time references to Christmas have sparked controversy. Just the other day in a Philadelphia, a sign titled, "Christmas Village" was taken down because some people thought it was offensive. The outdoor holiday market, which housing some 50 vendors, will now have a sign calling it the "Holiday Village," in an effort to be more inclusive.
Last month, the topic of holiday greetings was the subject of our online poll on CNY Central.com. The vote was close with 45 percent supporting the phrase "Merry Christmas" and 42 percent for "Happy Holidays."
Do you agree with the school board's decision to change its calendar or do you think it goes too far? How about the sign change in Philadelphia? Do you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"? Leave your comments below.
