Duh, Christmas trees are secular

Political correctness has lost its mind.

I can barely believe that some people are making a fuss over the use of the words "Christmas tree," asking instead that they be called "holiday trees." Or that some are demanding that "Merry Christmas" become "Happy Holidays." What is happening to this country?

If you saw the opening sketch of Saturday Night Live this weekend, you saw just how insane all this political correctness has become. They took our favorite holiday carols and sang about that random infant being born in a "barn box" somewhere to a lady of "undetermined ethnicity," "Donald Trump" challenging the banning of the word "Christmas" and the song "Hallelujah!" became "How ya doin?"

Recently, the White House has been questioned over whether its tree should be a "holiday tree" instead of a "Christmas tree." Wal-Mart employees can not say "Merry Christmas" to their customers anymore, favoring a more inclusive "Happy Holidays." And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thankfully, some people have been taking a stand against this outrageous political correctness.

On Capitol Hill, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., has asked that the tree on Capitol grounds, referred to as the "holiday tree" for the past several years, be renamed the "Christmas tree."

Boston city officials received incredible criticism when they briefly tried to change their "Christmas tree" into the "holiday tree." Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, told press "It'll be a Christmas tree as long as I'm around." Well, I hope you're around for a long time, Mr. Menino.

I absolutely believe that each religion's traditions should be respected and observed with the reverence that they deserve.

I do not believe that Christians (and those who celebrate Christmas just because they want the new X-Box 360) should be singled out because they're the majority.

Maybe Wal-Mart could put up Christmas trees and wish their customers a "Merry Christmas" as well as showing separate displays for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa?

I accept the fact that Christmas is unnecessarily commercialized, but there's no going back now. If other religions want to even things out then, sadly, it'll come to making their holidays more commercial. For true Christians, Christmas is not about all the pomp and faff that surrounds it; it's about the birth of Christ.

Let's face it: December is the month when Christmas occurs. You cannot argue that. Therefore, trees decorated with garish tinsel, shiny decorations, lights that only work on the bottom half of the tree and surrounded by presents are Christmas trees.

Christmas trees are not part of Kwanzaa or Hanukkah; therefore there is no reason to make them secular.

I certainly won't be taking a Menorah and putting it on my windowsill, then calling it a "Holiday Candleabra" or "Holiday Candlestick." And I won't be giving people the traditional Hanukkah gelt (gifts of money) and calling it "non-religious donations of coinage."

Also, don't expect me to use the Shammes (the ninth candle on the Menorah that lights the other eight) to light my "Holiday Candlestick," calling it my "waxy giver of non-clerical, oxygen-fed flames." Or to make Hanukkah latkes (potato pancakes) and call them "all-inclusive hash browns."

The fir tree has been associated with Christianity for more than 1,000 years. St. Boniface converted Germans to Christianity, and when he found some pesky pagans worshipping an oak tree, he cut it down in anger. Surprisingly, a fir tree popped up from the roots, and St. Boniface took it as a sign of the Christian faith. Voila, a Christmas tree.

Christmas is not a holiday that includes every religion. Neither is Kwanzaa, nor is Hanukkah. And I don't want them to become all-inclusive because they would lose their meaning.

Can you imagine the outrage if synagogues were asked not to display Menorahs? It would be outrageous. Yet, some people think it is reasonable to ask that Christians do not display nativity scenes.

I can only hope that in 50 years, our grandkids won't be forced to watch shows like, "A Charlie Brown Non-Denominational Celebration of Many Holidays around the month of December," to hear songs like, "It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Festivus," or to open their "Dec. 25 gifts."

Have a merry Christmas, wonderful Kwanzaa, blessed Hanukkah and a great December break.

-- Lindsay Hodges is a journalism junior. She can be reached at dailyopinion@ou.edu.
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