Stories about anti-Christmas bias have become as common as snowflakes and candy canes.

But now even the cane-shaped candy has come under attack from Political Correctness police.

At Manchester Elementary School in Elkhorn, Nebraska, Principal Jennifer Sinclair sent a memorandum to parents and students listing Christmas-related items and activities that could not be used in class.

Sinclair’s nonacceptable list included Santas or Christmas items on work sheets; trees in classrooms; Elf on the shelf; singing carols; playing Christmas music; making ornaments as gifts; reindeer; Christmas videos, movies and/or characters … and candy canes.

“Historically, the shape (of the candy cane) is a ‘J’ for Jesus,” the principal determined. “The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This would also include different colored candy canes.”

Her list of “acceptable practices” did, however, allow for non-Christmas winter imagery such as yetis, penguins and snowmen, snow women, snow people and snowflakes.

After the news went viral, it didn’t take long for reactions to pour in. Liberty Counsel, a Christian advocacy organization, urged the superintendent “to immediately overrule and specifically disavow the sweeping directive.”

The district responded that Sinclair’s memo doesn’t reflect school policy regarding holiday symbols.

Sinclair, who was placed on administrative leave, issued a statement stating she was incorrect and apologized for any confusion caused and the negative attention it brought to the district and the community.

This is not an isolated case. “War on Christmas” stories have become commonplace.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, warned 15 years ago that “Christmas poses “a particularly juicy target for litigation and intimidation.”

For the record, Pew research found last year that 57 percent of Americans believe in all four of the elements of the biblical Christmas story that (1) Jesus was born of a virgin; (2) the angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds; (3) the wise men, or the Magi, brought Jesus gifts; and (4) Jesus, once born, was laid in a manger. Among members of the two major political parties polled in the Pew study, 81 percent of Republicans but only 58 percent of Democrats said they affirmed all four of those truth claims concerning the birth of Christ.

The “Merry Christmas” controversy has even touched the White House. The George W. Bush administration said they had wanted to include people of all religious expressions and decided on happy holiday season rather than Merry Christmas on the official greeting card. This upset some church officials, including William Donohue, head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

In 2005, Donohue told The Washington Post that the lack of “Merry Christmas” on the cards “clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture.”

Bush’s successor, Barack Obama, also chose “Happy Holidays” for his official Christmas card.

President Trump, however, broke with his predecessors, stating that it was as an attack on Judeo-Christian values and that the PC culture in our society was wrong to eliminate the Merry Christmas greeting.

Even The Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” has come in the crosshairs of the #MeToo and other movements. The great Rudolph debate centers on the young reindeer being bullied by his classmates.

An Ohio radio station recently yanked the Christmas classic tune “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from its play list due to complaints of its lyrics being at odds with the #MeToo movement. One radio host defended the song’s removal, stating that “in a world where #MeToo has finally given women the voice they deserve, the song has no place.”

In place of Merry Christmas greeting, here’s what a PC version looks like:

Have a really

Nonreligious

Nonoffensive

Nonpolitical

Nonspecific paid day off on Dec. 25.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com