Once again, the American Family Association (AFA) has done the work for us by issuing a list of retailers, separated into “Nice,” “Marginal,” or “Naughty” categories in accordance with whether the business recognizes Christmas by actually using the C-word in their advertising.
The AFA’s annual Christmas “naughty or nice” list has been very effective. Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the American Family Association told OneNewsNow he’s witnessed the change in retailers’ advertising over the years: “More and more companies are now recognizing and using the term ‘Christmas’ in all of their advertising. Eight years ago, probably 80% of the companies in America were using generic terms such as ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Season’s Greetings’ with no reference to Christmas in their advertising. But because of the AFA annual ‘Naughty-or-Nice List,’ companies have now awakened and they now incorporate [the term] ‘Christmas’ quite extensively in a lot of their advertising.”
The AFA list uses a color-coded system, with blue being the highest rating and red for those retailers who refuses to even acknowledge Christmas while profiting mightily from the Christmas gift-buying frenzy.
This year, AFA is providing pro-Christmas consumers with an easy option for delivering their message to retailers on the Naughty list. AFA’s Sharp explains, “When you click on any company in the red – the Naughty companies – you are immediately taken to a page where you can easily contact this company via a phone number, an email, you can post something on their Facebook page. We encourage people to let these companies know why they are not going to do business with them this Christmas.“
Below are the best and worst businesses from the AFA Naughty-or-Nice List. Please go to the AFA site and print a copy of the full list to bring with you on your Christmas shopping. Click here!
The best stores are the blue-colored businesses — companies that have an AFA “5-Star” rating because they promote and celebrate Christmas on an exceptional basis:
- AFA Online Store
- Belk
- Hobby Lobby
- Lowe’s
- Sears
- Wal-Mart
The worst stores are red-colored businesses — companies that, at best, may use “Christmas” sparingly in a single or unique product description, but as a company does not recognize Christmas, although they don’t hesitate to take your money. Don’t give your hard-earned money to these!
- Barnes & Noble
- Family Dollar
- Foot Locker
- Limited Brands
- Maurice’s
- Office Depot
- Office Max
- Pet Smart
- Staples
- Supervalu
- Victoria’s Secret
H/t FOTM’s MomOfIV
~Eowyn
