Happy Sparkle Season question for Pittsburgh

[bryant69]

There is a legend that as late as 1996, teachers in Pittsburgh were required to wish their students "Happy Sparkle Season" rather than "Merry Christmas." At least that's what a number of right wing hacks are claiming happened.

There is reference to this legend in a recent interview on the whole "Liberals hate Christmas" merriment. I've been trying to get more details So far it looks like it all traces back to an Op-Ed piece written by conservative commentator John Leo, published in 1996 ( http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/USNewsWorldReport/1996/12/30/230529?extID=10026 ). At least that seems to be the earliest reference to it, I've found, and many of the other links reference this editorial.

Does anybody know anything about this? Happy Sparkle Seasons seems both gleefully goofy and pretty unbelievable; but would like to hammer it down if possible.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[underpants]

1. 1995

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/regional/s_397902.html

Yeah that does seem a bit ridiculous but the obvious questions are

Do you live in Pittsburgh? If not why do you care?

If you do live in Pittsburgh were you present to voice an opinion about this before it happened are you currenly constructively taking part in your local government and voicing your concern? If not, why not?

[bryant69]

2. I care because it is part of the myth of a war on Christmas

And if the only reference i can find to it is in an op ed, than I want to find out if it actually happened. Many of the lies the Republicans tell turn out not to be true, and if one can document the facts surrounding a case and point out the truth, well, doing that makes me feel good.

This particular myth may have a grain of truth. But calling your lighting of the tree a celebration of the sparkle season isn't the same thing as making your teachers wish their students a happy sparkle season.

At any rate, thank you for the link - this is another piece of the puzzle.

[underpants]

3. Correct you are

I found nothing about making teachers or anyone say it. I have found no proof (save for one school district somewhere SUPPOSEDLY changing Christmas lyrics) of anyone making anyone say anything-that includes department stores ASKING their "associate" to say "Happy Holidays".

Yes the whole thing seems to be nothing more than a growing fog (nothing really there).

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

4. Don't listen to the fucktard freepers.

"Sparkle Season" was nothing more than the downtown business consortium's atrocious aphorism for the holiday season. It was a marketing gimmick. An awful, awful marketing gimmick. It's dead, and I'll gladly piss on its grave.

[bryant69]

5. They give things like that graves?

That seems expensive. But convienent for the pissing upon, I suppose.

[gauguin57]

6. Ours in Lancaster, PA, used to be Fa-la-la-la-LAncaster.

Happy Sparkle Season. I like it!

Not as much as "IO, SATURNALIA!" though.