How Pani Nowak brought back Christmas
A PolAm Christmas story
By Robert Strybel, Polish/Polonian Affairs Writer
As long as anyone could remember, she had always been simply Pani Nowak. The neighborhood kids of whatever ethnic background, neighbors, local merchants. Even the people at city hall knew her that way. They also knew her last name was pronounced Novak, not “no whack”. She was known downtown, because she had been involved with the March of Dimes, had helped run a homeless soup chicken at the local Capuchin monastery and more than once had been publicized by the local media.
A widow for the past decade, Pani Nowak had four grown children and seven grandchildren, who kept her busy, but she always found time to help out at the parish and engage in volunteer work. December was an especially busy time what with parish pierogi suppers and gift packages for the neighborhood needy. Although a cheerful and friendly sort, one thing peeved Pani Nowak to no end: the dismantling, desecration and desacralization of Christmas. As she saw it, “war on Christmas” was an apt description.
Everywhere you looked it was “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings”, “winter” breaks for school children and President Obama lighting the “holiday” tree. Although Jesus is “the reason for the season”, street decorations showed only snowmen, elves, reindeer, Santas, toy soldiers and candy canes. Offices and schools would hold “holiday” parties, and Christmas sales promotions were now billed as “December specials”. Here and there the media would report some small noisy group protesting against a public Nativity display.
When Pani Nowak raised the issue at a parish council meeting, members agreed with her views but added: “What can the little guy do about it?” Always on her toes, she quickly replied with two simple words: “Money talks!” She explained that there wasn’t much one little guy could do about anything, but a lot of little guys can always take their business elsewhere. That inspired someone to suggest an open letter or petition. Not only parishioners but others around town gladly signed, especially after it was circulated on the Internet.
It got printed in the local press, highlighted on local TV stations and publicized on online community bulletin boards. Copies were also sent the major merchandising establishments such as discount stores, malls and individual shops. It said: “We, the undersigned, who have been patronizing your establishment for years, are becoming increasingly dismayed by your attempt to marginalize Christmas, something we hold dear. We are all hard-working Americans who have raised our families to respect positive, wholesome values and that includes the celebration of Christmas. Since your company no longer observes that occasion, we plan to do our shopping elsewhere.”
The store-owners started providing excuses, pointing to our “multi-cultural” society and people of other persuasion who might be offended, but a local poll showed that 86% of those surveyed supported Pani Nowak and her “Christmas Folks”, as they were called by the local media, only seven percent were opposed and the rest were undecided. Then the merchants said they would consider it in 2011, but this year it was too late to change anything. “Fine, we’ll be back to do our shopping at your place in 2011, meanwhile this year you can sell your goods to the seven percent ‘Seasons Greetings’ faction,” replied the Christmas Folks.
Sure enough, within a few days “Merry Christmas” was hoisted back up next to the “Season’s Greetings” and Happy Holidays”. Some stores even added “Happy Hanukkah”, and that was fine with the Christmas Folks. “Such variety expresses our country’s cultural wealth,” Pani Nowak explained. “Only a small and noisy but influential group of agitators is pressing for a bland, sterile, secularized America devoid of all the richness and diversity that have gone to make it great, ”
As a postscript I should add that the following year, a Nativity scene was set up in city’s main downtown square, where a larger than ever crowd gathered to sing not “holiday songs” but Christmas carols. That was the way things had always been before someone decided to declare “War on Christmas”.
