By Editor Bob Terry
Auburn University found itself thrust into the national spotlight recently because of its annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony. Some wanted the ceremony called a Christmas Tree Lighting instead, and the tensions over the issue resulted in vast amounts of misinformation and thousands of irate reactions.
Some of the reactions came from Auburn alumni and parents. Some came from individuals across the nation spurred to action by e-mail messages urging them to fight the “narrow-minded political correctness” of the university.
Most of the Web sites and e-mails promoting the fight had their information mixed up. One well-known organization headlined its e-mail release “Auburn SGA Bans Christmas Tree, Renames It a Holiday Tree.”
In fact, for the past five years, Auburn has had a Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony on the Samford lawn on campus. Since its initiation in 2000, the ceremony has been called a Holiday Tree Lighting. This year, a student senator decided the event should be called a Christmas Tree Lighting and launched a petition drive to have the Student Government Association (SGA) change the name. National organizations were contacted and from there, the story grew.
Before the student senate met to consider the petition, it was charged with banning Christmas. One e-mail campaign erroneously reported, “The Christmas tree has been called a Christmas tree for 25 years. Now the members of the SGA at Auburn have decided that Christmas is an offensive term.”
When the student senators did meet, the tree lighting had already taken place. They voted against immediate action. Instead they set in motion a process, which SGA President John Tatum called “a way to hold a celebration and to call a Christmas tree what it is — a Christmas tree.”
The incident might not have made national news if it were not part of a national issue about religious expression in the public square — specifically the use of the word “Christmas” and the holiday’s observance of the birth of Jesus.
Only after pressure from consumers did Wal-Mart agree to create a “Christmas” page on its Web site to match “Hanukkah” and “Kwanzaa.” Previously Wal-Mart had a “Holiday” page. Lowe’s home improvement stores agreed to rename its “holiday trees” as “Christmas trees.” Walgreens drugstores promised to include “Merry Christmas” in its 2006 Christmas ad campaign rather than “Happy Holidays.” Macy’s now allows its employees to wish customers “Merry Christmas.”
Even at the nation’s capital, Christmas is back in the picture. For the past several years, the lighted tree adorning the grounds of the U.S. Capitol has been called a “Holiday Tree.” This year, without much fanfare, the tree was renamed “Christmas Tree on Capitol Hill.”
When asked why the change, a spokesman replied, “House Speaker Dennis Hastert believes it should be called what it is — a Christmas tree.”
Such changes are simply a return to common sense. The lighted tree may not have originated as a Christian symbol but it has been part of the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus for more than 500 years.
The lights on the tree are reminders of the twinkling star that shined brightly the night Jesus was born, according to Martin Luther.
Estimates of the number of Americans that celebrate Christmas reach as high as 94 percent. While not all will know the religions symbolism of the Christmas tree, or even the season, Americans will know they celebrate Christmas and the lighted tree is a Christmas tree.
Efforts to remove the word “Christmas” from the public square are what one writer called “political correctness run amok.” There is simply no reason for it. Recent announcements from religiously observant Jews show that most welcome religious expression in the public square. They express concern for the moral values of a country founded on Judeo-Christian principles when retailers drop the word “Christmas” from their promotions.
Muslim groups recently announced their support for including Christmas in the public vocabulary. One regional director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said, “The more religious it is, the more acceptable it is to Muslims.” The reason? Muslims want to use Christmas as precedent for observing their own holy days, he explained.
Avoiding the word “Christmas” is not being sensitive to minorities. It is being callous to the majority.
There is no reason for it. Christian groups ranging from the Catholic League to the American Family Association are fighting back. A number of religious liberty organizations unhesitatingly weigh in on the side of religious speech in the public square including the use of the word “Christmas.” Now efforts to avoid controversy by banning Christmas only invites confrontation.
Auburn is only one of many flash points in this ongoing battle.
Hopefully Auburn’s SGA will conclude the lighted tree on the Samford lawn should be called what it is — a Christmas tree. Hopefully major retailers such as Target, Lands’ End, Sears and others will abandon their policies of banning Christmas and acknowledge what everyone already knows. This season of the year with its array of activities is Christmas. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that fact.
Christmas deserves proper recognition in the public square.
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