December 9, 2010 - 10:01am
By Dotty Griffith
ACLU of Texas Public Education Director
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas around our office. Not just because we are planning our annual party but because Christmas cards arrive daily. Some wish us Christmas blessings. We also receive cards in the spirit of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. We welcome and cherish them all, although we want to clear up an apparent misunderstanding. We receive some Christmas cards that state a mistaken impression that the ACLU of Texas has something against Christmas. Not so. We love Christmas. We close our offices on Christmas Eve and stay closed until after New Year’s. That’s our right. Your business may want to stay open. And that’s your right.
Christmas displays — including nativity scenes — are also your right as well as long as they’re in or around businesses, homes and churches. This religious expression is a valued and protected part of the First Amendment rights guaranteed to all citizens, rights we strongly believe in at the ACLU of Texas. Governments, however, should not be in the business of endorsing religious displays of any kind. Religion belongs where it prospers best: with individuals, families and religious communities.
That said, as a seasonal greeting, let us add: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Yenu Iwe Na Heri, and happy holidays from the ACLU of Texas!
See what else the ACLU has to say about Christmas.