Ebenezer Award for 1999 Goes to "Sparkle"

Dec 23, 1999

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty announced today that it is giving its annual "Ebenezer Award" to a silly-looking creature named "Sparkle," the centerpiece of Pittsburgh's absurdly watered-down Christmas and Hanukkah celebration. Sparkle stands about six feet high, with stars all over, and a sewn-on smile with an expression that never changes. It bears no obvious relationship whatsoever with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or any other event occurring during the winter holidays.

Becket Fund President and General Counsel Kevin J. Hasson said that "Sparkle is an ersatz Santa for an ersatz Christmas, a nonsensical character designed to drain the holiday of any remaining suggestion that it ever had religious significance. It's 1999's most ridiculous instance of a public official's effort to escape the true meaning of Christmas."

The Ebenezer Award is a specially designed Christmas stocking filled with lumps of coal, and is given each year to the individual responsible for the silliest affront to the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays. Since "Sparkle" has no fixed address, this year's award is being sent in care of its creator, Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy.

Earlier this year, the Becket Fund successfully defended Jersey City, New Jersey against a lawsuit by the ACLU that sought to permanently ban holiday religious displays on city property. Several weeks ago, Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler was thus able to light the city's first Hanukkah display in five years. The Becket Fund is now defending Wall Township, New Jersey, against a similar ACLU lawsuit And earlier this month, the Becket Fund successfully defended the designation of Christmas as a federal holiday in federal court in Ohio.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a bipartisan and interfaith public interest law firm that protects the free expression of all religious traditions.