By Bruce Sessions
The city of Sacramento conducted a very impressive Christmas tree lighting extravaganza. The Christmas tree with thousands of lights was declared to be The Capitol Christmas Tree. News anchors and reporters covering the event, as well as helicopter pilot and channel 3 reporter Dan Shively, made it abundantly clear that this was a Christmas tree (as opposed to a holiday tree.)
During Governor Schwarzeneggers first term, he declared the Capitol Christmas Tree to be a Christmas Tree. He said it was absurd for it to be called anything other than what it was. It was the Capitol Christmas Tree.
Meanwhile, NBC-TV news carried the story of the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington DC, as well as the Christmas tree lighting in Rockefeller Center in New York. All CHRISTMAS trees. Not holiday trees or winter solstice trees.
Here in Chico, there was a tree lighting ceremony at the downtown Plaza. Only, there was no Christmas tree. Oh, dont get me wrong. There WAS a tree with some lights strung on it and star on top, but it wasnt a Christmas tree. It was a COMMUNITY tree. Becky Watner of the Downtown Business Association says Since the tree lighting ceremony is for the community, we have titled the event the Community Tree Lighting. It was never the intention to avoid the term Christmas or to take Christmas out of the equation.
My question isif there was no intent to avoid the term Christmas, or take Christmas out of the equation, why wasnt it referred to as the Community Christmas tree lighting? Or Chico Christmas Tree Lighting? Why are some people embarrassed to use the term Christmas since we all know that the holiday we celebrate IS Christmas? Oh, we might offend the Jews, Muslims, African-Americans, atheistsso we dare not say the word Christmas. That, plus other groups have embedded THEIR holidays (Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) in with Christmas.
I wonder how THEY would feel if we started calling a Menorah a candlestick holder? And for Kwanzaa, how about Convicted Felons Day since its founder, Ron N. Everett AKA Maulana Karenga is a convicted felon, having served time in prison. No, Im sure those groups wouldnt like that at all.
Neither do Christians like having the word Christmas relegated to the trash heap of history, and replaced with holiday tree, community tree and any other funny name that can be conjured up, just to keep from using the word Christmas. Like the governor said, to call a Christmas tree anything other than what it isIS ABSURD!”