A Line in the Snow

Why "holiday trees" just don't cut it

It’s time for my annual plea for sanity around the holidays. (And let me tell you, I need all the sanity I can get!)

This year sees a new twist in the battle over whether Christmas references can be made in public without the atheists and the ACLU getting their panties in a bunch. After going after Nativity scenes, religious Christmas carols, and Christmas parties, they’ve started going after the trees. Communities and some retailers are now calling Christmas trees “Holiday Trees.”

I have a question. Have we all become wusses when it comes to Christmas? I know the holiday season is supposed to be one of peace and love for all with good will towards men, but this is getting ridiculous. Christmas is a legitimate holiday. After all, the U. S. Postal Service takes it off, and they know a lot about holidays. But people who celebrate Christmas are being pushed aside by people who want Christianity treated like we treat Tito Jackson: acknowledging he exists, but wondering why we know he exists.

The notion of the “holiday tree” is offensive to me. For one, it ruins the song “Oh Christmas Tree.” But mainly, it’s pointless! The Christmas tree has some connections to pagan worship, but it’s mainly connected to one religion: Christianity. So, changing the name from Christmas tree to holiday tree doesn’t change the perception. You could call it a “Tap Dancing Monkey Drunk on Eggnog Tree” if you want, but to most people, it’s still a Christmas tree.

So, why the change if it does no good? It’s more of a blanket against potential lawsuits than anything. Atheists and the ACLU will tell you that public displays of Christmas decorations, trees included, are violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. For the uninitiated, the Establishment Clause states that Congress can’t make a law that creates a national religion. Well, the ACLU has been successful in getting courts to rule that any publicly funded areas of land constitute an act of Congress, so no religious symbols or decorations can be put up on said public areas. Apparently, they feel that public funds should not be used to do something that offends a group of people.

You mean like…oh I don’t know…using the court system (paid for with public funds) to make the majority of the people in this country be scared of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and atheists for daring to put up a Christmas tree or Nativity scene at City Hall.

That’s what frustrates me most about this “holiday tree” situation. Christians are in the majority in this country. Although it’s a nice gesture that we don’t want to offend people of other faiths, or lack of faith as the case may be, that gesture is being used to marginalize what most people in this country believe. We’re being shut up by a vocal minority with a team of lawyers, and that has to stop.

There’s a concept we need to bring back into the forefront of this discussion: if you want us to respect you, you have to respect us. Plain, simple, and direct. You want us to be sympathetic to your atheistic beliefs (and, trust me, it is a belief system), then show us some respect for our beliefs. And that’s what the ACLU and atheists can’t do, because to do so would mean they would have to acknowledge the possibility that God exists. And if you’re trying to make a case stating that atheists shouldn’t be subjected to a belief system they reject, you can’t even suggest that God might exist out of fear that it would ruin your case.

Let me make a direct appeal to the reflexively offended atheists out there who want us to change our ways to suit you. Did it ever occur to you that you’re outnumbered? If you count up the number of people you have against the number of people the Christians can muster, the name "General George Custer" should come to mind.

I’ve had discussions with atheists and agnostics about this and the majority of them are cool with me celebrating Christmas (mainly because I make some killer eggnog that puts you out for three days at a time), so why don’t you? All you’re doing by forcing us to comply to your will is acting like jerks, and hypocritical ones at that if you’re insisting that statements of faith are forcing you to comply or making you feel bad. Seriously, who gets offended at a Christmas tree? If you are one of those people, seek professional help because you’re taking a symbol way too seriously.

Oh, and one more thing for you reflexively offended atheists. Merry Frickin’ Christmas. Now, shaddup.

And that’s the Bottom Line.

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