As part of the 23rd annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign, Liberty Counsel released its Naughty and Nice List that catalogs some of the stores that are censoring Christmas and some that are publicly celebrating it.
For decades, the debate over whether businesses and people in the public square should say “Merry Christmas” or the more neutral “Happy Holidays” resurfaces each season. A 2024 You.gov survey found that about 65 percent of adults prefer “Merry Christmas” greetings over “Happy Holidays,” a similar result from a 2022 Monmouth poll that found a 61 percent majority preferring “Merry Christmas.”
Years ago, Walmart had banned its employees from even responding with the phrase “Merry Christmas.” Now the company is consistently on the “Nice List” by embracing the Christmas season. Two years ago, Target was on the Naughty List for going “all in” on woke “pride” decorations that mocked the Christmas holiday. However, the department store has earned a spot on the Nice List for the second year in a row by selling items that celebrate Christmas. One company on the 2024 Naughty List moved to the Nice List this year—Best Buy—for offering many “Christmas” products in its online store. Thankfully, many other companies continue to acknowledge Christ’s birth during the season. Costco, Dillard’s, Hallmark, Hobby Lobby Stores, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Kohl’s are just some examples of the stores on the “Nice List” for acknowledging Christmas and offering Christmas gifting options.
Barnes & Noble, Burlington Coat Factory, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gap, Inc., Neiman Marcus, TJ Maxx, and others consistently remain on the “Naughty List” for censoring Christmas from their holiday-themed campaigns and offering little more than generic “holiday” decorations and gifts. Four retailers moved from the Nice List to the Naughty List in 2025: Academy Sports + Outdoors, Big Lots, Lord and Taylor, and Nordstrom. Each of these companies took a nearly sterilized approach to “Christmas” in their online holiday campaigns as compared to prior years.
