text: '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
target: – 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.