Four Merchandisers now support the Retail Sales Force, erecting displays of carpets and curtains within the shops.

The official reason is that Chester County officials decided not to allow private groups to erect displays, and to decorate the lawn of the courthouse themselves (the display will include a Santa, a holiday train, a creche, and a menorah).

The walkways themselves, already narrow, were becoming even more restricted as stalls erected external displays and additional weatherproofing.

More neighbors are erecting elaborate lighted displays, turning Williams Street into a major tourist attraction with No Parking signs and officers scolding cars that pause.

But private groups have a First Amendment right to erect explicitly religious displays in public places, at least once that forum is opened to other groups.