An email from the City of Greensboro’s Human Resources Department doesn’t say “Bah-humbug!” but it does lay out so many rules and regulations about how to celebrate Christmas – sorry, the “Holiday Season” – that some city employees may forgo celebrating at the office at all.
The decorating and behavioral guidance, signed by Greensboro Human Resources Director Jamiah Waterman, states “what is and isn’t allowed” when it comes to the holiday season.
“We have some tips below to help guide your directions on how to celebrate the holidays in the offices and other places accessible and whether you can display Christmas trees and other decorations.”
Waterman notes that government cannot endorse any particular religion so any holiday decorations throughout Greensboro city government should be “secular decorations.”
Workers can have religious oriented items in their private workspaces if they are not visible to the public. “However,” the memo states “in public areas, we must be thoughtful and sensitive to the complexities of events with religious (or other protected basis) connotations.”
Here are some of the points city employees are advised to keep in mind…
•Be as inclusive as possible.
•Understand and respect the fact that some employees may choose not to display holiday decorations.
•Consider only secular decorations such as Christmas trees, garlands, snowmen, candy canes, reindeer, etc. (Interestingly, the memo only lists snowmen. It makes no mention of the fact that women are equal to men and therefore snowmen on display should be accompanied by a snowwoman as well. Come to think of it, there should probably be a gender-neutral snow person also to keep from offending anyone.)
•Use inclusive descriptors of our holiday observations (i.e., Holiday, Winter Break.)
So, city employees should mind their PC P’s and Q’s this December while they have a very merry Chis – uh, holiday season.
Does anyone have a sprig of mistletoe that I can hang on my back belt loop so he knows exactly where to kiss?
You expected something else?
“What is and what isn’t allowed”…? Who the hell does this guy think he is? His directives are tantamount to telling people what they may say to each other, and how they must behave. Does he think he’s Big Brother?
If I were a city employee I would make a point of wishing him a Merry Christmas. If he takes exception to my benevolent wishes… too bad.
Lol…your tax dollars at work…or woke…totally pitiful.
It seems that they are forgetting the real reason for the season. It happened 2000 years ago. His name is Jesus thank you .
With the rise in hate crimes, in particular against the Jewish population, it’s hard to understand why it is offensive to Christians to be inclusive to their neighbors. This doesn’t in the least detract from their ability to celebrate the birth of their savior. I commend the city for respecting and following The Establishment Clause.
Are you having a difficult understanding the meaning of separation of church and state? England prior to the United States’ birth had an established religion called “The Church of England.” Our White Founding Fathers did not want an “established church.” In other words, a specific church supported by civil authority. Allowing Christmas decorations is NOT an endorsement of a religion or church. Displaying decorations by employees is a choice by the employees not a religious mandate by the city of Greensboro. HR and legal are just trying to control and to show authority while worshipping at the feet of inclusion and diversity.
Uh, lemme see… Yep, Christmas is a federal holiday so it’s perfectly correct to say merry or happy Christmas. So, if you don’t like it, you can just take your candy cane- and suck it!
Its Christmas stupid.
Ah the mindless drivel of inclusive HR people. Reminds me of Kate McKinnon’s role in the film Office Christmas Party. I have no problems with the concept of inclusivity unless it is being pushed on us.
Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
Blessed Yule
The secular decorations encouraged are actually culturally appropriated pagan symbols. Isn’t that endorsing paganism over Christianity? What a waste of HR and government buersucrats time. Merry Christmas everyone. Their is one reason for the season. JESUS!!!!!
What a bunch of crap.
Whatever it is Christmas and we are celebrating the birth of JESUS CHRIST
Gee, I wonder who came up with that.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL CITY AND COUNTY EMPLOYEES. Bless you all as we celebrate the birth of my lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Not snowmen. Snowthey. Christmas trees? Uh-uh. Make that adorned greenery-sorry colorblind people. Reindeer-indentured servant elk. Candy canes-most insensitive to people who cannot consume sugar. Or maybe, just maybe you should forget all the BS, decorate how you please, don’t worry if anyone gets offended (they’ll be offended anyway), and pass the eggnog. Merry Christmas!! This was NOT written or approved by the City of Greensboro.
Christmas at it’s core is the belief in the birth of Jesus, so what they are saying is anyone with a religious prayer should do it in a closet? Good grief! Slowly but surely the gestapo of the liberals is doing everything they can to dismantle our heritage.
You wokies are not stealing my CHRISTMAS!
Counter-speech police.
Oh lawd I cannot wait! to read these comments.
Happy Hanukkah you filthy animals.
So that’s how you think of us Goyim, eh? We always suspected as much, but thanks for confirming it, “Jew Ish”.
This is enough to piss the Pope off. I am glad I don’t work for the city.
The Pope needs to be pissed off; and us too. He is not the Defender of the Faith. He is doing a lousy job.
More liberal horse hockey.
Creating problems where there aren’t any. That’s what government is all about!
In a world that’s full of hatred and violence. love conquers all it eliminates and overcomes evil.. All Americans have equal right to exercise freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and the right to pursue happiness. no censorship should ever be forced on anybody. Including city officials, and government employees! Christmas is not a time for censorship. It’s a time of celebration!! Let freedom thrive! Everyday all day long ! it’s not that hard. It cost 0.00 to love. To be kind. keep the true meaning of Christmas alive! peace and goodwill towards all mankind.
I would expect nothing less from this city. We are circling the drain.
Interesting, consider secular decorations such as “Christmas trees”. There’s that word Christ mas trees. Won’t this offend someone? Maybe should be worded holiday tree. But then that might step on tree huggers toes. One cannot take Christ out of the “holiday” season no matter how hard one trys.
Guess he forgot that a holiday is a Holy Day. So Happy Holy Days everyone!
Mr. Jamiah Waterman, there is no national holiday for holiday season, winter solstice, or winter break. There IS a national holiday for CHRISTmas. If an employee wants to display a creche or some other display of the nativity scene, that is not an endorsement of Christianity by the city of Greensboro but an individual’s recognition of the national holiday. The city of Greensboro is a municipal corporation whose legal authority does not extend to controlling Christmas displays on city property. Please read the City of Greensboro’s charter.
Human Resource departments are a huge waste of money. Corporations and cities existed for many, many years without an HR department. The employment office did the hiring. The “guide” Mr. Waterman provides regarding CHRISTmas displays smells of the Legal Department. No one person is required to be inclusive. To remind employees to be inclusive is coercion to force an outcome. How does the City of Greensboro retain employees? Has there been a study of employee turnover? Only highly paid employees are sticking around, most likely due to the pay and the flexibility afforded them. Send Chuck Watts to unstop a sewer line.
Mr. Waterman is an attorney as well, but he’s following the desires of “woke” members on the council.
Looks like my earlier post about the “new” Christmas holiday as being politically correct was scrubbed by the thought police on the Rhino. Shame on you.
Merry Xmas! muh feelz, muh feelz.
Some years ago, the University of Tennessee Office of Diversity and Inclusion admonished the entire campus NOT to decorate or celebrate Christmas on university property lest they offend someone. The Tennessee state Legislature then passed a bill to defund the entire office of Diversity and Inclusion, forcing the director (Associate Vice Chancellor, or some such exalted, overpaid horse manure position!) to resign! WHERE IS THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE LEGISLATURE?
They are a vote or two short of the super majority needed.
I’m glad i don’t work for the City of Greensboro!!!
You can be much gladder if you leave Guilford County.
So tired of cities or the government it’s self pushing the liberal agenda. These folks work here to serve not to be a slave to the lefts Ideology leave Christmas alone a very merry Christmas to everybody.
How is this news?
Yeah, be as inclusive as possible, while excluding those of the Christian faith, which is the whole reason we have the Christmas holiday and get time off work in the first place. That makes sense! Christians shouldn’t have to keep baby Jesus in their desk drawer just so they don’t offend non-Christians. The only reason this is the season of giving, at least that’s what I thought it was all about, is because Jesus came to give His life for us.
Christians are so privileged that they screech and cry if we don’t cater to their holiday 1000000%.
I wish this religion would just die already.
There’s a really warm spot with a nasty leader waiting on people like you. Enjoy the eternal ride.
To cater means to provide something. The city employees who may want to display Christmas decorations are not asking for anything just looking for freedom. The City of Greensboro HR and management worship at the feet of diversity and inclusion.
As far as Christianity dying out, why not ALL religions? Why limit your wish to Christianity?
Ya Mum, you first!
you’ll just get another one you don’t like.
It may be dying now. What you will get is something far worse: BIG BROTHER
Love your article. Don’t you hate how people take it upon themselves to ruin this Holiday for everyone. But I guess that is what you expect when you work in the public sector
Pretty much everything Christmas has was taken from pagans. The trees, the decorating, the gifts, and the very date of the winter solstice itself – all heisted from the pagans Christians either converted, murdered or frightened into hiding.
Christian culture just has this tendency to impose on others, but then flails about when faced with even the mildest pushback, as you have above. It’s as tiresome as conservative ravings about a Black Santa or two elf girls stealing a quick kiss behind him. We can’t even get halfway through October before Christmas is shoved down our throats, which leads me to feel there’s really a war on Halloween or Yom Kippur
You can say “Christmas.” It’s okay. I still celebrate it with my family and then I go home and honor my gods.
Perhaps this year instead of posting about your silly imagined dragons of political correctness, spend some time reading about Jesus because even if I’m more a follower of Aphrodite and The Morrígan, I certainly feel I appreciate Jesus more than crybaby Evangelicals do.
Merry Yule!
May I say that pagans worshipped imaginary gods. Jesus was alive and walked the earth. Christians believe He remains alive, albeit in heaven. What other religions posits their founder is still alive?
Evangelical Christians and missionaries preach and teach their beliefs to spread the word of Christ. I know of no time when Christianity has been forced on others. When the Crusaders believed Jerusalem had been saved, they left. There was no attempt to force conversion. Their mission had been accomplished.
Your post makes no sense to me.
This country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Without ethics and morality, soon we will have no Republic.
Have people forgotten that Christmas is a Christian holiday? And that there is a separation of church and state written into the core of our country? City offices should not endorse any particular holiday– and I personally don’t care if the DMV has decorations when I’m there to get my stuff done. Sounds like you that’s sensitive, not them!
If you truely believe in separating church and state then you had better throw away all your money then don’t accept any more. I think the words “ In GOD we trust” is still printed on our money. But don’t worry in the dumbocrat nanny state we live in you’ll be taken care of.
So, you are saying that by allowing Christmas decorations, the city is endorsing a religion?