Some people do not celebrate the holidays because of their religion and that is completely fine. However, other people do celebrate the holidays, like Christians with Christmas or Jewish people with Hanukkah. These people have the right to display whatever holiday decorations that they want because it is a form of speech.

A lot of places, like shopping malls and stores, have some holiday decorations. While some will disagree with this and claim that it is not fair to people like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not take part in the holidays, the holidays still bring a wave of décor, lights, and inflatable holiday figures.

These displays are protected as forms of free speech and, as such, should not be taken down just because of someone’s complaint. As long as the decorations are not offensive on a violent or sexual level, then there really is not a complaint.

Also, people like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or those who do not celebrate the holiday can have their own signs or decorations which criticize the holiday season. It is their right to express their religion and, if it contradicts another religion’s practices, it is still perfectly fair and legal.

At the same time, there are no written rights about being exposed to ideas. This means that there is not really anything that someone could do if they did not approve of the holiday and walked into an establishment that had a seasonal display. They cannot say that their rights are being infringed

The only reason that a public place has restrictions on holiday displays is if it is a government building. Legally, they are allowed to have holiday displays as long as they are not overly religious. They are allowed to have some religious elements as long as the display as a whole is constitutionally secular.

This is detailed by the results of several Supreme Court cases, in which the court ruled that government buildings are not allowed to show favoritism towards any particulat religion.

What is considered “favoritism” is up to the viewer, but if the display does not endorse or advance one religion over antoher, it is perfectly constitutional. This means that the government can put up a holiday display if they avoid things deemed “too Christian” or they can have that and also display displays for other religions, such as Judaism.

Non-religious and multi-cultural displays on public property are protected by law and are fully constitutional. Regardless of how others feel, these decorations will continue to be put up for the holidays.