Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law a bill from Rep. Alan Seabaugh that officially legalizes the use of certain Christmas-related activities in and around schools. including saying "Merry Christmas" and putting up a Nativity Scene at public schools in Louisiana -- with a couple catches.

Seabaugh spoke with the KEEL morning show about his "Merry Christmas" bill and what it means for Louisiana residents during the holiday season.

"It was simple a bill that was designed to take what the US Supreme Court has ruled is completely legal and put that into Louisiana statutes so that teachers and schools administrators and principals could know that certain things they want to do around Christmas are OK," Seabaugh said.

What exactly is covered in Seabaugh's Merry Christmas bill?

"If you want to say 'Merry Christmas,' if you want to have a Christmas party or a Christmas play, or put a Christmas tree or even a Nativity scene on a school ground," said Seabaugh.

Schools looking to display a Nativity scene on school grounds do have to adhere to a couple rules.

"The Supreme Court has ruled multiple times that [Nativity scenes are] perfectly OK as long as you fall within a couple of certain rules, like have more than one religion represented, and you can do that simply by putting a monnorah; baby Jesus was Jewish, after all," Seabaugh said. "You have to have a couple non-traditional religious symbols. It's what's been dubbed the 'three reindeer rule.' If you have a reindeer in there or a snowman." 

The term 'War on Christmas' isn't something we came up with, it's something they came up with. -- Rep. Alan Seabaugh,

Seabaugh also touched on ACLU lawsuits surrounding Christmas celebrations.

"The ACLU and other groups have brought many, many suits over the last 25 years trying to keep things like this out of school," he said. "The term 'War on Christmas' isn't something we came up with, it's something they came up with. Anything that smacks of religion, of Christianity theyre trying to take it away, frankly. The Supreme Court has ruled many, many times over the last 25 years that these things are OK."

You can listen to our entire interview with Rep. Seabaugh below.

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