Keeping Christ in Christmas is very much a personal matter, but our Baptismal call invites us to do more to bring Christ into the culture, which all of us can do by standing firm in our right to publicly express our beliefs during this sacred season.

Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal ministry that advocates for the rights of Christians, has been conducting its annual Friend or Foe Christmas campaign since 2003 – and we’ve come a long way since then!

“Back in 2003, Liberty Counsel noticed a swell of anti-Christmas sentiment that was threatening to become a tsunami of unconstitutional censorship,” the site explains. “Christmas decorations were packed away or renamed. People wanting to celebrate Christmas were told to sit down and be quiet. Employees, students and even senior citizens were banned from saying certain words!”

But not anymore. Thanks to programs such as theirs, and the cooperation of millions of Christians, the “grinches” are on the run. After fighting this good fight for more than a decade, the Counsel has managed to overturn hundreds of censorship attempts such as restoring nativity scenes that were banned from public property; reversing decisions to substitute the name "holiday' for Christmas trees and parades; returning Christmas carols to nursing homes for the enjoyment of the elderly; lifting a ban on public school students wearing red and green clothing to class; correcting school officials who rewrite Christmas carols to excise references to God.

These are laudable accomplishments, but there is still much work to be done.

As you can see by this nine-page report, the Counsel is still contending with many Christmas-related problems. Thanks to reports by faithful Christians, the Counsel's lawyers are alerted to these issues and are at work trying to resolve them.

In addition, they publish their annual “Naughty or Nice” list, which gives the names of retailers who include – or exclude – Christ in their Christmas advertising and store displays. This list gives the faithful one of their most powerful tools to enact change in our society - their pocketbook. Why should we spend our hard-earned Christmas gift dollars in stores that don’t recognize this season for what it truly is – a celebration of the birth of Christ?

This year’s “Naughty” list includes American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gap, Inc. (including Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta), J. Crew Outfitters, The Limited, Radio Shack, Rite Aid, Walgreens, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods.

The list includes contact information for all of the above so that you can let these retailers know why you won’t be spending any money in their store this Christmas season.

Keeping Christ in Christmas means keeping Jesus front-and-center during this festive season. Only God knows how many lost souls turned to Him after being inspired by the wonders of Christ in this blessed season. Let’s do whatever we can to make that wonder available for all.

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