“The important thing is that we focus on the diversity this campus is known for.”
“Right.” He paused. “Everything gets equal attention.”
“A..a..a”
“Well of course I don’t mean Christmas. It’s had too much preference for far too long in this country. Besides, it’s passe.
“Right. Twinkly lights are fine as long as they don’t mean anything. And Christmas carols . . .”
“Ach! Don’t even mention them. I can’t stand them.”
“I hated to see the Santa display go, but it was for the best.”
“Haha! I’d forgotten about that one!”
“What in the world? Did you see that?”
“I think it’s the Fine Arts Building. I’d think they’ll be on it before too long. Painting in the dark would be a challenge, eh?”
“Of course, red and green were fine for awhile, but – I don’t know – do you think it’s associated too closely with Christmas?”
“Let’s just go with white and gold. No reason to ruffle any feathers.”
The two men stopped and peered down the street for a moment.
“The English department will howl, for sure.”
“Oop! And Languages. Ah! And a few of the street lights! I wonder if it’s something with the electrical system?”
“Ooo, watch out there. Are you okay?”
“Just a minor stumble. It’s a bit hard to see without those lights.”
“Did you see the creche in front of the gas station down on 7th?”
“I can let the student group know. They love a good protest.”
A loud buzz echoed through the evening air.
“Look! The History department! They’ve probably all fallen asleep anyway.”
The two men chuckled.
“Science and technology will feel that.”
“I wonder how it will affect research?”
“But to the main point. This time of year shouldn’t be any different than any other time. I think we’ve done a fine job of cleaning up the campus. I don’t see evidence of the C word anywhere, do you?”
“How much better our campus is without Christmas!”
The other man nodded. “Nothing to take offense at here.”
And the campus went dark.
Image: Pexels.com; John 1:5; I Peter 2:8; https://www.dangerous.com/38838/christmas-not-appropriate-according-university-minnesota-memo/