Holiday displays dividing Va. town

By Caitlin Gibson

LEESBURG, Va. — Baby Jesus is keeping strange company.

For the better part of 50 years, a creche and a Christmas tree were the only holiday displays on the Loudoun County Courthouse grounds.

Then came the atheists. And the Jedis. And the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster -- each with its own decorations. A skeleton Santa Claus was mounted on a cross, intended by its creator to portray society's obsession with consumerism. Nearby, a pine tree stood adorned with atheist testimonials.

Flying Spaghetti Monster devotees are scheduled to put up their contribution this weekend. It's a banner portraying a Nativity-style scene, but Jesus is nowhere to be found. Instead, the Virgin Mary cradles a stalk-eyed noodle-and-meatball creature, its manger surrounded by an army of pirates, a solemn gnome and barnyard animals. The message proclaims: "Touched by an Angelhair."

With the new displays, a new tradition was born: a charged seasonal debate.

This year the dispute struck a particularly raw nerve. Skeleton Santa was ripped down -- twice. Kenneth Reid, Loudoun County supervisor-elect for the Leesburg district, sent a news release opposing "outrageous anti-religious displays."

For Loudoun locals, the heart of the issue isn't about a Santa Claus corpse or a deity made of noodles. And despite a flurry of tongue-in-cheek news reports about the ongoing debate, most people don't find it a laughing matter. Some say the issue is about freedom of speech, or separating church and state; others say it is about the importance of preserving a cherished tradition.

It's also about fast-growing Loudoun County grappling with the inevitability of change.

Stanley Caulkins, who moved to Leesburg in 1937, remembers the first time the Nativity was put up at the corner of the courthouse lawn.

Caulkins, who has owned Caulkins Jewelers in downtown Leesburg for over half a century, sees it as a valued symbol, something that should not be messed with. He went before the county board two years ago to argue that it should stay. Last week, he said that he still does not understand why the issue engenders such controversy.

"The creche is not religious," Caulkins insisted, his voice trembling.

A depiction of the adoration of baby Jesus, attended by the three kings, is not religious?

"It is a belief symbol. You have to believe in something," Caulkins said.

But he expressed little patience for those who believe in flying pasta monsters or the artistic value of a skeleton Santa Claus.

"It is embarrassing to me, and it should be to everyone," Caulkins said of those displays. His perspective, shared by others, shows that the issue cannot be debated entirely on logical grounds; matters of faith -- and even the value of tradition -- are less about facts than feelings.

For decades, the creche took its place without fanfare. Then, in 2009, a courthouse-grounds committee, concerned about a growing number of requests to use the public space, decided that Loudoun should ban all unattended displays on the property.

Public outcry was fierce and emotional. Residents poured into the county boardroom wearing Santa hats and religious pins, pleading with county leaders to respect their freedoms of speech and religion. The board ultimately decided to allow up to 10 holiday displays on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants got in line.

Baby Jesus has appeared in several displays. But others had far different interpretations of a holiday greeting. One year a mannequin arrangement featured Luke Skywalker of "Star Wars."

Matthew Courtney, a member -- or "Pastafarian" -- of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, thinks allowing diversity in the decorations is welcoming. "I understand that it's out of the blue for some of these residents -- that there are atheists in the community, or Pastafarians in the community," Courtney said. "A lot of them are uncomfortable with that. At some level I can understand that. But it doesn't bother me. … It does show the diversity of the community, and I think that's a good thing, not a bad thing."

The question remains: Will the "War on Christmas" end this year?

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott K. York has indicated that the policy probably will be reconsidered when the new, all-Republican board takes office in January. Reid said he believes that the supervisors will be able to find a compromise and salvage the town's tradition.