Speaking of Christmas

Speaking of Christmas, I vaguely remember that during my first newspaper job in Central Florida, while I was assigned to cover the goings on at Dundee Town Hall, the mayor and city council at the time made a big fuss about Christmas. Every year they placed a creche or nativity scene on public land near the town hall. This particular year they received a letter from the ACLU requesting the removal of the creche from public land. The mayor of the city made a big dramatic statement about that in her remarks from the podium. So I dutifully reported this incident in the bi-weekly newspaper. The reporter for the competing newspaper also reported the story in the larger daily newspaper. Her story was more spun in favor of the ACLU and basically ignored the city's reaction whereas my story was more reported in terms of reporting the mayor's comments about the city's determination to continue defying the ACLU. That was in about 1989 or 1990. I have not been back to Dundee since being reassigned out of Dundee so cannot comment on subsequent city councils or whether they still have a creche there on public land or not. It could get very expensive for the city if the ACLU decides to take the battle over Christmas to the courts so I think it is very reasonable for them not to have a creche simply for that reason. No one is paying my salary so there is no reason for me to say anything else about that. There is only a story if people talk. Talk is cheap, certainly, no matter what angle you take. As for my personal Christmas and what Christmas decor may or may not exist in my house, it's just none of your business. I wouldn't want the ACLU showing up at my doorstep, you see, so I will just keep it to myself, thanks anyway.