Holiday Tree?

Washington has a new hot story. Apparently there is a question about the name of the big decorated tree that materializes every December at the U.S. Capitol.

It seems some people don’t like the name “Christmas tree’. They insist it be a ‘Holiday tree’.

Now I’m confused. If I’m not mistaken about the history of the Christmas holiday it is about celebrating the birth of Christ. Hence it seems that the name Christmas tree was arrived at in a straightforward and logical way.

So does this mean that there are folks that want to share in the holiday, but don’t understand what it is they are celebrating? Or, making even less practical sense, don’t like what they are celebrating?

Does this not strike you as being similar to a Christian going to another culture with, oh lets say a dominant Buddhist religion, butting into their religious holidays we don’t understand or agree with, then demanding they change the names of their celebration symbols to suit us?

What am I missing here? This just seems like remarkably bad manners, not to mention a case of elementary logic pushed out onto the thin limbs.

You need not be concerned however, this is a blog with a solution.

The government should not put up a Christmas tree. Seriously, government has no business being involved in a religious holiday as a government practice.

But that’s just part of the solution. First, I will have to take you on a side journey.

I have a friend that has an interesting process when dealing with his wife’s demands. When she tells him to do something he doesn’t want to do, he just smiles and says “Yes dear.” He doesn’t argue with her about why he doesn’t want to do the task. He thinks the oncoming argument is an unnecessary infringement on his energy and time.

After mumbling, “Yes dear,” he proceeds to do whatever the heck he wants to do without regard to the wife’s request. It is a form of avoidance and disinterest that drives his wife crazy, but eventually she forms an understanding that the request on her part is wasted energy too.

I’m not advocating this for your marriage. Use this inside intelligence with caution.

It does however, sound like a good strategy for dealing with holiday cultural buttinskees. Yes, I know buttinskees is not a word, but I’m betting you know what it means. Especially those of you that may be buttinskees.

Why do I care if someone insists on calling it a ‘Holiday tree’?

I don’t care. I’m going to call it a Christmas tree until the day I die, and I suggest you do the same.

The only way this demand has any power is if we accept the premise that the ridiculous demand does have power. Just chuckle at them, and say “Yes, of course.” Then call it a ‘Christmas tree. Call it that the rest of your life.

They can’t put you in jail for employing defensive behavior against rude and ridiculous people.

Not yet anyway.

Simply rob their power by ignoring them, as in “You have no power over what I call a Christmas tree.”

Just call it what it is to you. ‘A Christmas tree.’

If you even engage a small argument with these rude folks, you give them a little bit of power over your behavior and thinking. I suggest we make them devoid of power by simply staring right through their silly yapping and then ask them, “Oh by the way, have you seen all the Christmas trees around town?”

If you’re wife or husband insists on calling it a Holiday tree? Well, we already covered that in Chapter One above.