Confessions of a Curious Bookseller(17)
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 7:32 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
Hey Fawn,
For inclusivity, I can try to pick up a Kwanzaa kinara.
Kyle
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 7:45 PM
To: Staff
Re: Decorations?
Kyle,
All right, if you can find one. Should we put it in the same room as the menorah or another room? The only other room that is big enough to hold a table with candles is the romance and erotica section, and I don’t think it would be an appropriate location.
Fawn, Owner
From: Sam Asimov
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 8:03 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
Fawn,
Speaking of inclusivity, what if we did something a little different and put the menorah in the front and the Xmas tree elsewhere in the store? That way you don’t have to spend as much money on a giant tree.
Sam
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 8:12 PM
To: Staff
Re: Decorations?
Sam,
We have to put the Christmas tree in the front because it’s the biggest holiday fixture. Blame the pagans, not me.
And a small tree wouldn’t work. I think it should be as big as possible because, quite honestly, a big Christmas tree will make people shop more than a giant menorah would.
Fawn, Owner
From: Angela Washington
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 8:20 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
My dad is in construction and might be able to get us a crane that would lift the snow machine over the roof. Also, we have a small machine in our basement that spits fake snow for front window displays. My mom bought it from the Philly Lord + Taylor when they were going out of business.
—A
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 8:34 PM
To: Staff
Re: Decorations?
Angela,
Even if you have access to a snow machine, renting a crane would be extremely costly unless you think you can get a good deal on a crane as well.
This all seems very dangerous.
Fawn, Owner
From: Kyle Krazinsky
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 9:13 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
Hey Fawn,
We should not leave out the Muslim people. I looked up what they are celebrating at this time, and I found this thing called Ashura. Can we include it somehow?
Kyle
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 9:35 PM
To: Staff
Re: Decorations?
Kyle,
I know very little about Ashura, and I understand that it’s important to be inclusive of Muslims, but as far as I could tell they do not have candles or a tree of any kind to showcase it. From what I could find on it, it is a time of mourning and I don’t believe that’s what we are looking to evoke here. Additionally, I think it already took place in September.
Fawn, Owner
From: Sam Asimov
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 9:43 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
Fawn,
I think all this inclusivity is overly complicating things. What if we get rid of all the religious stuff and just make it secular? So, Frosty the Snowman, wreaths, garlands, etc. All this religious stuff might turn people off anyway.
Sam
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 9:50 PM
To: Staff
Re: Decorations?
Sam,
I don’t think it will bother anyone as long as we are inclusive and go about this in the right way. Simply omitting a tree, a menorah, and a Kwanzaa display is not what I had in mind. Garland and wreaths alone would be nice but would come across as entirely Christian by default. Frosty the Snowman is a Christian-inspired fabrication, as is any intimation involving candy canes and trumpets, so window stickers of that sort would be exclusive to Christians.
Fawn, Owner
From: Kyle Krazinsky
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 9:55 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
Hey Fawn,
What about something for the atheists?
Kyle
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 10:05 PM
To: Staff
Re: Decorations?
Kyle,
The atheists that I know (that do celebrate the idea of Christmas) have a tree in their homes and only celebrate the gift-giving aspect of it, cutting out the idea of Christ altogether. Sounds like a cop-out to me. So I don’t believe they have any kind of candle fixture to celebrate their disbelief structure. I think simply by having a tree in the front, they will see it as a present-giving mechanism and will feel included.
Fawn, Owner
From: Sam Asimov
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 10:36 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Decorations?
Fawn,
So then, I have to to ask. Where do your beliefs lie? I’m Jewish, so it’s nice to have a menorah, but I really don’t care ether way. That said, we should definitely probably make sure to include the owners sensibilities in all this after all . . .
Sam
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 10:55 PM
To: Staff