‘Tis the time to liberate, indeed!

This is nonsense only Christians could come up with.

Get this. The American Family Association (you know we’re in trouble right there) has initiated a boycott of the GAP and all of its offshoot companies because of this year’s GAP ad campaign which AFA says does not feature “Christmas” prominently enough among other holidays which are also mentioned. From their website:

Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic, the three stores owned by San Francisco-based Gap Inc., are being targeted by AFA in a limited two-month boycott over the company’s failure to use the word “Christmas” in its advertising to Christmas shoppers.

Gap has refused to use the word Christmas in its television commercials, newspaper ads and in-store promotions despite tens of thousands of consumer requests to recognize Christmas as well as repeated requests from AFA to do the same.

Here is one of the ads that these people are upset about. Please note that the first holiday mentioned is Christmas.

The lyrics, in case you missed them, are:

2,4,6,8, ’tis the time to liberate
go Christmas, go Hanukkah, go Kwanzaa, go Solstice
go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go without a tree
you 86 the rules
you do what just feels right
happy do-whatever-you-wantaka
and to all a cheery night!

This past Tuesday, AFA announced that their campaign has resulted in something of a victory. From Tuesday’s press release:

UPDATE – 11-24-09
Gap responds, boycott suspended. Your actions make a difference! Company says “pro-Christmas” ad to air this weekend.

According to Bill Chandler, vice-president of Gap corporate communications, Gap’s Old Navy division will launch a new television commercial this weekend …which “has a very strong Christmas theme.” Chandler responded to AFA last Friday, after a poll showed 90% of AFA supporters wanted to continue the boycott as a result of Gap’s initial “holiday” ad that mingled Christmas with the pagan’s “Winter
Solstice” holiday.

Gap says the new ad will include the popular Supermodelquins proudly cheering “Merry Christmas,” and features Christmas trees, lights and ornaments as well.

In good faith, AFA is suspending the Gap boycott until it has an opportunity to view the new commercial this weekend.

As a result of your dedicated actions, we believe Gap is beginning to realize that Christmas is not just another “holiday” and will begin to advertise in a way that is respectful to Christians and Christmas shoppers.

SuperModelquins chanting Merry Christmas! Amen! Our God is not mocked!

Hey, idiots. You complain on the one hand that Christ has been “taken out” of Christmas, and on the other you fight to have Christmas included “more prominently” in consumer advertising? Any Christian with a brain knows that the linking of Christmas with capitalism is precisely the problem, and the use of Christ to sell sweatshop products — indeed any product at all — is utterly blasphemous.

In fact, contrary to the stunning stupidity of those Christians who insist that putting Christ back into Christmas means putting Christmas back into our shopping malls, I have written to the GAP demanding that they STOP referring to Christmas in their commercials. You can do so too by contacting them at this email address. They can talk about “doing whatever you wantaka” all they want. Just leave Christ out of it.

“‘Tis the time to liberate” indeed. It’s time to liberate Christmas from capitalism and to liberate Christ from stupid Christians.