Merry whosawhateveryoucelebrate, everybody! The Holiday Season is upon us. This means family, good food, pretty lights, and a nice long break!
Let me set the scene. You walk into your house after getting home for winter break. The air is cold and your breath is wispy in front of your face. Venturing inside, you see stockings hung by the chimney with care, and in the corner, there is a lone pine tree, adorned with lights and glittery ornaments, with colorfully wrapped boxes underneath. What do you call this tree?
I’d be willing to bet that all five of you who read this column (hi, mom!) said that the object in question was called a Christmas tree. You would be correct! If you said something different, then I just don’t know what to tell you. Please hang up and try again.
This is why I struggle with the large, beautiful tree being put up in Ruffner Hall. Not with the tree itself, of course, I’m certainly not one for the whole war on Christmas thing and I really couldn’t care less about Starbucks Red-Cup-Gate. No, what bothers me is what the festive display is being called. Depending on where you look, it is either "The Holiday Tree" or just "The Tree."
I have a few problems with this, the largest of which being that a tree with lights and ornaments is a Christmas tree and is, by definition, a tree used to celebrate Christmas. You can’t just rename something purely in the interest of cultural diversity and mass appeal. It would be like meeting someone named Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen and deciding that his name is too “edgy” and you would rather call him Steve. I can’t imagine he would be very pleased.
The reason that is being cited for the change in nomenclature is that all people should be included in the tradition of the tree. However, the tree itself has nothing to do with the Christian idea of Christmas and pine trees have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. Christmas has grown beyond that, into arguably the most major holiday of the western world, regardless of religion. Santa Claus didn’t come from the scripture, he came from a Coke ad and nothing biblical happened at the North Pole. Yes, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th because that is the day of the birth of Jesus, but the holiday we celebrate today with the elves, presents, and lights has almost nothing to do with religion.
If we are really trying to pander to all religions here, then why do we only put up a Christmas tree, excuse me, Holiday Tree? Why not some Menorahs, erm, I mean, multi-pronged-holiday candle holders? Or any other misnamed tradition for that matter?
So remind me again, why we can’t call the damn thing a Christmas tree?
