The Gap's 'war' on Christmas

Provoked by a peppy Gap ad which features an all-inclusive cheer about winter holidays ("Go, Christmas! Go Hannukah! Go Kwanza!"), the American Family Association is calling for a boycott. The retailer, says the AFA, is taking a "cavalier approach" to the Christian holiday by equating it with "pagan" holidays. Has the Gap fallen into an overly PC gap? (Watch the Gap ad)

Protesting reindeer-sweater salesmanship is petty: Look, I'm a Christian, and I "couldn’t agree more" with the AFA’s "stand for good old-fashioned moral values," says Steven Hutson in The North Star National. But true evangelists use "gentle persuasion, not hostile confrontation" or "foolish posturing." The Gap boycott makes Christians look "petty and intolerant."

"It’s the most wonderful hassle of the year"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It’s the Gap that’s petty: The Gap’s commercial gives Christmas “a cultural kick in the shin," says Victor Medina in Examiner.com, by equating it with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and "Whateveryouwannakah.” This “PC garbage” is part 'Glee,’ part ‘Bring It On,’ "and 100% fail.” Christians should shun any store that mocks Christ's birth for "corporate gain.”

“When Liberals Attack! How the Gap Killed Christmas, Part 2”

The AFA did the Gap a favor: The Gap should probably thank the AFA for its "fatwa," says Dan Neil in the Los Angeles Times. It turns out that "condemnation by the AFA" is apparently "kind of a lucky charm for big business." Disney doubled its revenue during the 10 years it was boycotted by the AFA, and Ford didn’t do badly either.

"Gap’s Christmas cheer makes a boycott backfire"

I’m with the AFA on this: The Gap should “just stop it with the multi-culturalism already,” says Oliver Miller in The Faster Times. Speaking as a Jew, I love Christmas, mostly because I end up with more gifts than I do with Hannakah. So “come on, advertisers, stop throwing us these bones. Reminding people of lesser crappy holidays” is just condescending. (Watch additional Gap holiday cheers, including "Big Ole Piece of Peace" and "Veggie Rsvp" at Cheerfactory.com)

“F*ck the Gap Christmas ad”