Tonight I dropped into CVS Pharmacy to get a family photo made into some Christmas cards. I plugged my USB jump drive into their machine and looked at the choices available for printing cards. There was an option for “Winter Holiday Cards” – OK, that might have Christmas cards. I went there and found nearly a dozen choices of formats to which I could add my photo. There were two cards available with Jewish symbols – the menorah on one and the Star of David on the other (not the Bethlehem star, though – just a repeating background of the Jewish symbol). Cool. There were cards with Santa Claus, presents, and a reindeer. But nothing that was distinctively or uniquely Christian. No wise men, no shepherds, no manger scene, so star of Bethlehem, no angels, no cross, etc. Not even the non-denominational word “Peace.” Perhaps that phrase is too loaded with Christian overtones if present on a “winter holiday” card.
Does CVS suffer from the delusion that offering a Christian-themed Christmas card would somehow be offensive to their customers looking for “winter holiday” cards, while Jewish symbols are OK?
I punted, gently expressed my dismay to the staff, and went online to find some real Christmas cards – plus a few “Happy Bailout” cards for my non-believing but still very gullible friends.
Does CVS suffer from the delusion that offering a Christian-themed Christmas card would somehow be offensive to their customers looking for “winter holiday” cards, while Jewish symbols are OK?
Yes. But it’s okay, because everybody else is doing it, too. (I can’t believe your mom won’t let you jump off this bridge with us, Jeff!)
Try winkflash.com–they have a bunch of expressly Christmas cards and a few that even quote scripture. Mine were done super fast this year–I had them within 4 days of making them.
Wow! It’s kinda sad that many companies are going this route.
I work at CVS and although I understand how you feel most companies have gone this route. I really enjoy working for cvs, they work hard at satisfying the customer. I might ask you to submit your concerns to Corp. 1800shopcvs. good luck and God Bless
Wal-Mart offers a daring traditional Christmas card that shows wise men and says something about a King being born.
Have they lost hundreds of customers for this brazen offense? I hope not.
So it can be done.
Hey Jeff,
Just a follow up on your Walmart comments. Ironically, in spite of having blatantly “Christian” Christmas cards for sale, Walmart is actually having a record breaking sales season. Could just be the economy driving people to shop at Walmart, but for whatever reason, the fact of selling “Christian” Christmas cards hasn’t seemed to hurt Walmart’s sales in any way.
Catholic Defender
This is not meant as a criticism of the topic–I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments–but whenever I hear Christian people complaining about the lack of Christian meaning in public Christmas displays and traditions these days, the same image always pops into my head: Satan rolling around on the floor laughing at how easily distracted Christians are by trivial, lightweight attacks on the faith.
I think that is what they see as the demand for the Christmas photos. Maybe there will be more choices next time.