'Christmas' Winning War on Christmas in Marketing Messages 
 
 But AFA Carries on Fight by Targeting Dick's Sporting Goods, as Retailer Promotes 'Holiday Shop' 
 
 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The War on Christmas may be in its final days. 
 
 This season, merry Christmas -- not happy holidays or season's greetings -- will dominate retailer's marketing messages. There will be Christmas sales and Christmas trees and Christmas carols galore. That has the American Family Association, arguably one of the loudest voices advocating the use of Christmas in retailer's marketing messages over the past few years, predicting that its crusade could conclude in the next year or two. 
 
 Dick's Holiday Shop Dick's Holiday Shop 
 
 Randy Sharp, director-special projects at the AFA, said that in the past five years the group has seen the percentage of retailers recognizing Christmas in their advertising rise from 20% to 80%. Just eight retailers are left on the group's list of " Companies Against Christmas ." 
 
 It's also become more challenging to find a large, national retailer to single out for the group's annual boycott. This year, Dick's Sporting Goods, which boasts an online "Holiday Shop," will be the target of the boycott. The AFA is expected to send an Action Alert to its 2.3 million supporters on Friday morning. That alert will urge shoppers to boycott Dick's between now and Dec. 25. It also calls for consumers to email President-Chief Operating Officer Joseph Schmidt and then call Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Hennion. The retailer declined to comment. In the past, Target, Sears, Gap Inc. and Walmart have been targets. 
 
 "We've had a complete flip," Mr. Sharp says. "The politically correct holiday verbiage is going away. Companies are getting the message." 
 
 Indeed, retailers that have found themselves the target of boycotts or media and consumer scrutiny have responded swiftly in recent years. Lowe's "Family Trees" were renamed "Christmas Trees," while Walmart's "Holiday Shop" is now a "Christmas Shop." Midway through the 2005 holiday season, Target, facing a boycott, announced its advertising messages would become more specific and include references to Christmas. And last year, Gap Inc. responded to a boycott by issuing a press release highlighting the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" in its upcoming Old Navy ads. 
 
 Mr. Sharp stopped short of saying that he was surprised by how quickly and readily most retailers have changed their marketing. But he did point out that, especially in this type of economic environment, retailers are being careful not to alienate customers. 
 
 "Shoppers vote with their wallets every day," said Ellen Davis, a VP at the National Retail Federation. "[When it comes to boycotts,] retailers realize, 'It could just as easily have been us.'" 
 
 The NRF does not formally advise retailers on whether they should use the word Christmas, but Ms. Davis said it does provide statistics. This year's NRF/BigResearch survey found that 91% of consumers plan to celebrate Christmas, compared with 5% for Hanukkah and 2% for Kwanzaa. 
 
 "Retailers dipped their toe into the Christmas waters again last year, and there wasn't much push back. There wasn't a huge outcry from groups offended that retailers were saying Merry Christmas," said Ms. Davis. "We see the word Christmas being used much more this year than three or four years ago. The pendulum seems to have swung back." 
 
 The "extreme backlash" to generic holiday messaging likely caught retailers off guard in years past, Ms. Davis added. Now, phrasing around the holidays is much more strategic. "At this point, it's a conscious decision. It's not just whimsical phrases being tossed around in the marketing department," she said. "These are conversations that are now probably taking place in the C-Suite." 
 
 Retailers certainly tread carefully when it comes to the subject of Christmas. Major retailers such as JCPenney and Target said they don't have formal policies on in-store greetings. And retailers ranging from Gap to Macy's and RadioShack to Sears emphasized their inclusion and respect for shoppers of different beliefs, while noting that at least some of their marketing messages include the word Christmas. RadioShack, however, still appears on the AFA's list of "Companies Against Christmas." A RadioShack spokesman declined to comment on that distinction. 
 
 Plenty view the tactics of the AFA and other groups as bullying, but Mr. Sharp rejects that. "It's not bullying, it's consumer advocacy," he said. The AFA's stance is that retailers should not profit from Christmas, if they refuse to clearly acknowledge it. "When your advertising has trees and ornaments and gift wrapping, you're advertising Christmas, so don't call it holiday," Mr. Sharp said, adding that the group is not at all offended by Happy Hanukkah messages. 
 
 AFA's Naughty or Nice List* 
 
 *Incomplete list, click here for complete list. 
 
 Companies for Christmas 
 
 Company uses term "Christmas" on a regular basis. 
 
 Amazon 
 
 Best Buy 
 
 Cabella's 
 
 JCPenney 
 
 Kmart 
 
 Kohl's 
 
 Lowe's 
 
 Macy's 
 
 Nordstrom 
 
 Petsmart 
 
 Sears 
 
 Target 
 
 Walmart 
 
 Companies Marginalizing Christmas 
 
 Company refers to "Christmas" infrequently or in a single advertising medium. 
 
 Banana Republic 
 
 Gap 
 
 Old Navy 
 
 Limited Brands 
 
 Starbucks 
 
 Toys R Us 
 
 Whole Foods 
 
 Companies Against Christmas 
 
 Company may use "Christmas" sparingly in a single or unique product description. ||||| Naughty or Nice? 
 
 AFA's 2012 listing of top retailers and how they recognize Christmas 
 
 Color Code: 
 
 BLUE : An AFA "5-Star" rated company that promotes and celebrates Christmas on an exceptional basis. 
 
 GREEN : Company uses the term "Christmas" on a regular basis, we consider that company Christmas-friendly. 
 
 YELLOW : Company refers to Christmas infrequently, or in a single advertising medium, but not in others. 
 
 RED : Company may use "Christmas" sparingly in a single or unique product description, but as a company, does not recognize it. 
 
 List updated on 11-12-12 
 
 Companies For "Christmas" AFA Online Store 
 
 ACE Hardware 
 
 Amazon.com 
 
 Bass Pro Shops 
 
 Bed Bath & Beyond 
 
 Belk 
 
 Best Buy 
 
 Big Lots 
 
 Books-A-Million 
 
 Cabella's 
 
 Collective Brands 
 
 Costco 
 
 CVS Pharmacy 
 
 Dick's Sporting Goods 
 
 Dilliards 
 
 Dollar General 
 
 Dollar Tree 
 
 H.E.B. Stores 
 
 HSN.com 
 
 Hallmark 
 
 Hancock Fabrics 
 
 Harris Teeter Stores 
 
 Hobby Lobby 
 
 Home Shopping Network 
 
 JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts Stores 
 
 Kmart 
 
 Kohl's Kroger 
 
 L.L. Bean 
 
 Lowe's 
 
 Macy's 
 
 Marshals 
 
 Meijer 
 
 Menard's 
 
 Michael's Stores 
 
 Neiman Marcus 
 
 Nordstrom 
 
 Office Max 
 
 Petsmart 
 
 Pier One Imports 
 
 ProFlowers.com 
 
 Publix 
 
 QVC.com 
 
 Rite Aid 
 
 Sam's Club 
 
 Sears 
 
 Scheels Sporting Goods 
 
 Super D Drug 
 
 Target 
 
 TJ Maxx 
 
 Toys R Us 
 
 Wal-Mart 
 
 Zappos.com Companies marginal on "Christmas" 1-800-Flowers.com 
 
 Bath & Body Works 
 
 Cooking.com 
 
 Hy-Vee Stores 
 
 Safeway 
 
 Starbucks 
 
 True Value 
 
 UncommonGoods.com 
 
 Walgreens 
 
 Whole Foods Companies AGAINST "Christmas" Banana Republic 
 
 Barnes & Noble 
 
 Family Dollar 
 
 Foot Locker 
 
 Gap Stores BOYCOTT! 
 
 Limited Brands 
 
 Maurice's 
 
 Office Depot 
 
 Old Navy BOYCOTT! 
 
 Radio Shack 
 
 Staples 
 
 Supervalu 
 
 Victoria's Secret 
 
 Based on current advertising, below is a list of companies that avoid, ban, or use the term "Christmas" in their advertising. We will continually update the list, so check back often. 
 
 Criteria - AFA reviewed up to four areas to determine if a company was "Christmas-friendly" in their advertising: print media (newspaper inserts), broadcast media (radio/television), website and/or personal visits to the store. If a company's ad has references to items associated with Christmas (trees, wreaths, lights, etc.), it was considered as an attempt to reach "Christmas" shoppers. 
 
 If a company has items associated with Christmas, but did not use the word "Christmas," then the company is considered as censoring "Christmas." 
 
 Want to report on a company? Send your detailed report to christmas@afa.net. Please know that we receive hundreds of reports (emails) each day. We are unable to respond to each one personally, but your report will be read by one of our staff. 
 
 Note: AFA does not list local or regional companies. Only nationally-recognized companies will be listed. This list only reflects a company's "Christmas" advertising and does not take into account other corporate policies AFA may not agree with. 
 
 SPECIAL ALERT! Legal group offers valuable resources
– Dick's Sporting Goods gets the unlucky honor of being this year's villain in the “War on Christmas” campaign. The American Family Association has singled it out for a boycott this holiday season because the chain is “against” the holiday, reports Advertising Age. One of its offenses is having a "Holiday Shop” section on its website, with no mention of Christmas. All in all, though, the defense of Christmas has been going splendidly for the AFA, says a spokesman; over five years, the percentage of retailers acknowledging Christmas has soared from 20% to 80%, he says. And while Dick's may be "the 'most anti-Christmas' of all," only eight retailers remain on the “Companies Against Christmas” list, including Barnes & Noble, CVS, and RadioShack. The campaign is “not bullying," says the rep. "It's consumer advocacy." More at the Consumerist.