De-Christmas-ing Parade Means No Fireworks from Grucci

2008_10_fwg.jpgPatchogue's annual holiday-timed parade will not have fireworks this year after famous fireworks company Grucci (which does the Macy's July 4th show) has pulled out, upset that the parade lost "Christmas" from its name. Newsday reports that last year's Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade (named so at the request of Grucci, which donated $5000) is now the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade, after complaints that the parade wasn't being inclusive enough. Grucci VP Philip Butler took offense, saying, "They are using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes and not using the name." Yes, like a Santa on a yacht! The Patchogue mayor isn't too upset, "When I think about fireworks, I don't think about Christmas anyway - I think about the Fourth of July."

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Obligatory comment poining out that most of the modern "Christmas" traditions were plagiarized from the Pagans in the first place.

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This PC stuff is awful. Its called Christmas, let the people enjoy the holiday without having to avoid calling the holiday by its name. Grucci is right to be offended. Religions like judaism don't mind, my jewish friends enjoy christmas- everyone gets to celebrate their holiday. Its runaway political correctness...

I hate all this bloody politically correct crap. It is like Newspeak.

Obligatory comment about how much of the Christianizing of pagan culture was more complicated than people like #1 think. It had to do with the fact that the Church has always recognized the good things in other cultures and affirmed them and incorporated a lot of different practices into the Church. I should also point out that Christians are always accused of having instituted Christmas in response to the Roman practice of the worship of the Sun-God, thus Christmas is really the old Roman holiday, blah, blah, blah--however, historical records place suggest the opposite, that the Roman authority reinstituted the Sun-God holiday, because Christmas had grown so popular among Christians. However, most importantly, cut the pc crap.

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I agree with indy. Political correctness run amok. I want to return to the good old times.

We should call it the "Patchogue Mithras Boat Parade" (viz. Mr Firefly). That way we get a proper religio-historic perspective and we all get to celebrate our holiday by the wrong name.

I mean, religions like Christianity don't mind, right? My Christian friends should enjoy Mithras Day. And everyone gets to celebrate their holiday.

That's the kind of conservatism I can dig.

eff grucci and your fireworks,
take your effing Geno's from philly with you.

I'm not going to let these people run my Winter Holiday.

Christians want it both ways. They want the general public to be forced to celebrate their weird religion and its pagan practices, and then when the religious content becomes diluted, they whine about it and say "Keep Christ in Christmas."

As everyone knows, Jesus was all about buying, giving and getting a lot of crap you don't want or need for a lot of money you don't have, getting drunk at parties, decorating Wotan's trees, advertising, treacly music and, of course, fireworks.

And if anyone doesn't like it, they're "PC". I have invariably noticed that people who use this term unironically seemed to be somewhat retarded.

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Someone needs to read up on what "plagiarized" means, I think.

Jews and Muslims ruining things for everyone else per usual.

Have your personal take on it. What do I care?

I just hope it snows. Only then will it be Christmas.

Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade? Sounds like a stupid idea to begin with... Is there a Patchogue Kwanzaa parade?

Anybody who objects to the word Christmas or any official recognition of it can protest by going to work on Dec 25.

why? what's on December 25th?
why is that an important date?

Christmas is a Federal holiday, so it's secular. otherwise it'd be government support of religion.

Jesus is rolling over in his grave right now.

When did New Yorkers get to be such big pussies? Whose delicate sensibilities are we offending here?

Keep the Christmas name attached to the damned Christmas celebrations. If you want to incorporate ALL religious holidays into one large politically correct commingled mass of sectarian confusion, then I’m going to start demanding all Jewish and Muslim holidays off with pay! It’s Religious Season!

Everyone seriously get back on your boats and go back to the motherland if religious tolerance is something you can’t bear to live with. To be American is to incorporate into a society that may have, whoa, DIFFERING BELIEFS AND VALUES. I allow my Jewish friends to come to my Christmas parties, because I’m progressive like that.

McCain 08!!! Where’s my shotgun?

I just call that time of the season Winter Solstice now!

remember that Christ died so his disembodied head could be 14k gold plated combined with a nice rope and worn by rappers talking about Money Cash Hoes so they can equate being persecuted for glorifying thug life with altruism for the poor. That's the real meaning of christmas.

Whats next?

Memorial Day - Budwieser day

Mr. King Day - Dont know why but I have the day off from work Day

Valentines day - Hallmark Day

Yon kipper - Light commute to work Day (all jewish holidays can be under this name)

"When I think about fireworks, I don't think about Christmas anyway.."

Some of the best fireworks displays occur around Christmas.

Hey Mayor,

Fireworks dont remind you of Christmas? How about Christians. Try collecting taxes on vendors with no Christians coming to your heathen affair

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