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A small South Carolina town committee refused to remove a Nativity scene from a market parking lot after the mayor ordered it taken down from public property.
Around Thanksgiving, Kimberly Byrd, head of the Mullins Beautification Committee in Mullins, South Carolina, said her small team decided to decorate the city's new marketplace area for its first Christmas season "like a Hallmark movie," hoping to draw more customers to the downtown area.
The group spent about two weeks placing decorations they paid for out of their own pockets, including a snowman, wreaths, lights, Santa Claus and a small 3-by-4-foot Nativity scene. Byrd said she later received a text from Mayor Miko Pickett asking her to remove the Nativity scene, citing concerns about residents of other faiths and beliefs in the community.
Byrd said the mayor's request stunned her.
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"Our small town, we have a church on every corner," Byrd told Fox News Digital. "It's a faith-based community in the Bible Belt. I've been here 53 years of my life and never heard of anything like this happening here."
Byrd said she received support from some city council members to keep the display in place and decided to take a stand by vowing to keep the Nativity scene where it was.
"Christ is why we celebrate Christmas," Byrd said. "I really thought she would probably change her mind or come back and say, 'I'm sorry, I made a mistake. Let's have a meeting about this,' but nothing."
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In a statement posted to Facebook on Nov. 26, Pickett said she asked only that the Nativity scene be removed from the public parking area, arguing that a religious symbol on public property violated the "separation of church and state."
Byrd said if the mayor or city council ultimately removes the Nativity scene, she would take down the other Christmas decorations as well, because she feels strongly about keeping Jesus Christ at the center of the holiday.
"How are we supposed to explain to our kids that we have to hide our religion, hide our beliefs, and hide what Christmas is about?" Byrd said. "Christmas is not about Santa Claus. It's about the birth of Jesus."
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Byrd said she has received overwhelming support from within and outside the community.
"I never thought I'd have to do anything like this," she said. "But at the end of the day, we have to stand for what we believe in and what is right."
Pickett did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
In the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case, Lynch v. Donnelly, the court ruled in a 5-4 decision that a Nativity scene displayed by a Rhode Island city did not violate the establishment clause when it was part of a broader holiday display that included secular symbols.
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Mullins councilman Albert Woodberry told ABC15 News he has not spoken with the mayor about the issue but believes the Nativity scene should remain.
"Yes, I'd like for it to stay until the season's over with," Woodberry said. "Kids pass here, people come through to see it, so it's OK. It should not be a problem for it staying up."
Becket, a religious liberty law firm, awarded Byrd its 2025 "Tiny Tim Toast" award this week, inspired by the "A Christmas Carol" character, for her actions.
"In the face of increasing government efforts to scrub religion from public life, we should all strive to be like Kimberly Byrd," Mark Rienzi, president of Becket, said. "Her courage to stand up for the Nativity scene was admirable and patriotic. We're happy to raise a hearty toast to Kimberly and others like her who have kept the faith and brought a little more joy to this holiday season."
