Jaba - the holiday issue was discussed in the orange swap and again at the beginning of the green swap (see excerpt from Red's post #49):
"but because some of celebrate other holidays than others, we typically try to shy away from those (prime example was last month's swap of oranges, many do not celebrate Halloween as a holiday. So to keep it neutral, we just chose to not do holidays). But any other kind of green is more than welcome, and hope you join the fun. This group of ladies are a riot. Come join the fray."
The topic was raised yet again with the color red and folks are simply stating (or re-stating) their preference. I don't see anyone attempting to change the rules, but rather just trying to understand expectations.
I plan to participate next month. My red charms are ready to go and include no holiday or novelty fabrics.