Bordsboro, located in Berks County not far from Reading, is like a thousand other small towns.

It grew to a commnity of more than 5,000 people thanks to its large foundries and machine shops, all of which are no longer in operation.It's a town that has struggled, both with the loss of jobs, and with Mother Nature. On several occasions flooding from Hay Creek has caused extensive damage.It is also the place where the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone was born.Like so many other small towns, the community has a lot of pride. One particular source of pride is a newly extablished "Christmas in Birdsboro" celebration that will be held annually early in December.It contains a tree-lighting ceremony, carriage rides, and a house-decorating contest. Sound familiar?But someone wants to take the Christmas out of Birdsboro's newest venture. Earlier this week, a borough resident told council that she has concerns about using the word "Christmas" in the title."I love the idea of a holiday celebration," the woman told officials. "I think it's terrific. I just felt that the Christmas label made it totally Christian."The borough solicitor agrees with her. He said he would feel more comfortable if the borough called it a holiday celebration.But borough council stuck to its guns and voted 5-1 to retain the word "Christmas" in the title of the event. Good for them.According to published reports, one councilman said the proposal to drop "Christmas" from the title upset him."It sure ruffled my featuers," he said. "For 70 years that I can go back, Christmas was Christmas, and that's the way it is, and nobody ever moaned and groaned about it until recently."Council emphasized that everyone is welcome to join in the event or they could hold a celebration of their own in Birdsboro, according to their own views.Birdsboro is forging ahead with is Christmas celebration. One of the highlights will be the honoring of returning troops during the tree lighting ceremony.The event is being paid for by private citizens and businesses, with no cost to the taxpayers.Too much emphasis has been taken nationally in recent years to take "Christmas" out of the Christmas season. And this isn't right. As another Birdsboro councilman argued, "We're bringing attention to Birdsboro as a community that has a lot to offer and make a nice night out of it. Yet one resident wants to put a damper on it, and we're just not going to tolerate that."As a result, "Christmas" is staying. We hope other communities take the same stance should they be challenged.Bob Urbanrurban@tnonline.com