Christmas by Another Name

On Dec. 1, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department lit an evergreen tree decorated with lights and ornaments. And while this was the 64th time city officials have lit a tree, it was the first time ever that the evergreen in question was described as a “holiday tree” rather than a Christmas tree. The name change was done ostensibly to secularize the tree and have it appeal to Boston residents of all faiths. The actual result, however, was to illustrate how much politicians pander to political correctness.

As mentioned previously, the lighting of the Christmas tree has been an event for the past 64 years. Moreover, it is the 34th year Nova Scotia has given a tree to Boston out of thanks for the aid Boston provided to Nova Scotia when a munitions ship exploded on Dec. 6, 1917. So when the name change was announced, outrage predictably followed. Donnie Hatt, the logger who chopped down this year’s tree, commented that if he had known the tree would be called a holiday tree, “I’d have cut it down and put it through the chipper.” Sixty-four percent of the people polled by the CBS television affiliate in Boston said that Christmas had become too political. Mayor Menino himself said, “I grew up with a Christmas tree, I’m going to stay with a Christmas tree,” although the City of Boston’s website still calls the evergreen a holiday tree.

Not only did the name change irritate many, it also did nothing to address the legitimate concerns some people had with the Boston government erecting a tree. Despite the fact that some have claimed that a Christmas tree is not an overtly Christian symbol, it is still a symbol associated with a Christian holiday, the birth of Christ. Giving the tree a different name does not change this. If someone erects an evergreen and decorates it with ornaments and lights, everyone will recognize the tree as a Christmas tree. A simple name change does not secularize the symbol.

The naming debacle is just another example of politicians trying to have their cake and eat it too. By attempting to appease those who want religious symbols removed from the government, they angered those in support of the Christmas tree, while offering only a meaningless gesture for those in favor of secularization. If Boston is going to continue to hold a tree-lighting ceremony each winter, city officials should be honest with citizens and call the tree a Christmas tree.