It's Christmas, After All

Although the politically correct word for it is the “holiday season,” the weeks after Thanksgiving and until New Year’s Day are dominated by Christmas. Wreaths of holly spring up in shopping malls and on public boulevards. Christmas trees at the White House and the Rockefeller Center are lit to great fanfare and the sound of Christmas caroling wafts through many public places.

There are occasional challenges to public funding for say, nativity scenes, but by now, most of these symbols of the season have become secularized to the point that they are just part of the holiday backdrop. Nevertheless, those who do not celebrate Christmas occasionally argue that the public display of symbols have religious overtones which limits their enjoyment of these public spaces. The question of how to acknowledge the holiday season without offending anyone’s sensibilities is an annual struggle for students. This year, there has been a controversy broiling over the Leverett House e-mail list about whether to put a Christmas tree in the dining hall.

The crux of the issue is whether the Christmas tree is a religious object. For many people, the Christmas tree is simply a cultural icon, associated with that certain time of year. But others maintain that the tree is a distinctly religious symbol and as such should be confined to the private domain. On this matter, we maintain that the Christmas tree has, over time, become a predominantly secular symbol.

Admittably, often, like beauty, religion is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes it is not enough to simply declare something secular, it must also be judged acceptable by other standards. As such, even interpreted as a religious symbol, a Christmas tree represents only the celebration of a single holiday event—it is not an overt theological statement, as is a crucifix. Like the sukkah, or temporary shelter, that was put up in the Leverett House courtyard during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot earlier in the fall, the Christmas tree should be allowed to stay. Both are, and should be allowed as, legitimate expressions of religiously diverse House communities.

This being said, Houses should be vigilant that they do not put up the symbols of one religon but deny those of another. If Houses are neutral to religion in deciding what types of religious symbols to put up, a Jewish student who feels excluded by a tree can put up a Hanukkiah—the type of candelabra used by Jews to celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah. Those from other religious traditions should be encouraged to put up symbols for their holidays too.

Some have also complained about holding events in Houses with overtly religious themes. The singing of Handel’s Messiah in Dunster House each year is an example of such a House-sponsored religious event. The event is not mandatory, however, and students can avoid it if they choose. Thus, like the Christmas tree, such events shouldn’t be banned. Moreover, University policy permits all religious groups to hold voluntary, religious events within their confines, just as the Catholic Student Association currently does when it holds Holy Mass in House common rooms.

However, some College policies unnecessarily limit students’ exercise of religion. The College should immediately reconsider its ban against lighting candles in student rooms. When the holiday of Hanukkah begins on the evening of Dec. 9, many Jewish students will have to choose between lighting the Hanukkiah and sticking to the College’s policy. There should be specific allowances for personal religious observances as long as proper safety measures are used when lighting candles.

If Harvard is to be a religiously tolerant community, it does not have to be devoid of religion. Rather, the College should encourage students of all faiths to share their traditions and celebrations in inclusive, appropriate ways. During the holiday season, there are public displays of symbols from many different traditions. They are meant to share the general celebratory mood and are not predominantly religious expressions. Those who feel uncomfortable with the symbols should try to have thicker skin and show more generosity toward their neighbors. It’s Christmas, after all.