Spinoff to Christmas trees, and ... well, Christmas in general

I was at the gym last night & the TV was on. there was a segment on Fox 5 news about people who are suing to call the tree in Rockefeller center a 'holiday tree' because calling it a Christmas tree is offensive

I am Jewish and never ONCE in my life did I ever take offense to anything Christmas related being called CHRISTMAS. what's with these people who are so easily offended?

any thoughts?

---

Posted by smm2675

oh dear lord....and it starts. i find it soooo ridiculous. we can't have christmas b/c non-christians get offended. i know, not you, but these protests are so stupid.

---

I don't think it's so much the 'non Christians' as it is the atheists. like that guy in CA who is suing to remove 'in God we trust' from US currency.

---

Posted by dleeny

---

Posted by smm2675

oh dear lord....and it starts. i find it soooo ridiculous. we can't have christmas b/c non-christians get offended. i know, not you, but these protests are so stupid.

---

I don't think it's so much the 'non Christians' as it is the atheists. like that guy in CA who is suing to remove 'in God we trust' from US currency.

---

i know, how far will this go? but every year at this time, something or other like this happens.

Im Jewish and I am not offended by seeing a Christmas tree or even sharing the Christmas holiday with people to learn about it. It doesn't mean I am going to start to go to church for crying out loud.

And now that I think about it, I am more offended calling it a HOLIDAY tree because Jewish people don't USE trees to symbolize our winter holiday so it MISREPRESENTS what we believe in. Call it what it is a CHRISTMAS TREE and stop the nonsense.

---

Posted by Happybride2005

i like when its called a xmas tree. i also like when both holidays are together like ther r this yr

---

me too! DH and I both get to celebrate our respective holidays on the same day

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Im Jewish and I am not offended by seeing a Christmas tree or even sharing the Christmas holiday with people to learn about it. It doesn't mean I am going to start to go to church for crying out loud.

And now that I think about it, I am more offended calling it a HOLIDAY tree because Jewish people don't USE trees to symbolize our winter holiday so it MISREPRESENTS what we believe in. Call it what it is a CHRISTMAS TREE and stop the nonsense.

---

amen sista!!

---

Posted by dleeny

---

Posted by Happybride2005

i like when its called a xmas tree. i also like when both holidays are together like ther r this yr

---

me too! DH and I both get to celebrate our respective holidays on the same day

---

i'm even cooking a nice dinner for dh parents. its should be like this all the time

---

Posted by diluvchu

I could be wrong, but don't they also have a Menorah next to the Tree? Plus it's not like they have a stable out there with baby Jesus in it, then that would be taking it too far. It's just a tree. It's a tradition.

---

I don't think it was Jews who had anything to do with this... just an FYI.

I understand what you are saying.

but just to clarify a few things (and to kill time at this late night hour)...

Regardless of if there was a menorah next to the tree or not, a menorah is never mistaken to represent anything other than Chanukah. Nobody would ever call it a 'Holiday Candle Holder'. There are MANY locations throughout all boroughs of the city as well as towns in LI, which publicly represent Jewish celebrations AS Jewish celebrations. The point I was trying to make was NOT that Jewish people were being slighted by NON-representation. It was meant that by calling a Christmas tree a 'holiday tree' was silly. Basically, people who celebrate Christmas use them, and by calling it a 'holiday tree' it therefore lumps our celebration in with everyone else's. A tree means (or rather represents)nothing 'religiously' to Jewish people and THAT personally offends ME. Though certainly not enough to make a federal case out of it. I DO have a wedding to plan ya know! It may even offend other religions who also have celebrations that coincide, in timing, with Christmas.

(I should also say that there are Jewish people who do choose to have Christmas trees in their homes and that is their prerogatives.)

The irony is that Chanukah is a festival that is not even found in the Old Testament. Chanukah is not even a very important religious holiday at all. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot. Jewish people generally do not take off from work to celebrate this day. Alternate side of the street parking is not suspended in the city either. That may be why you won't see many 'PC' arguments surrounding this day.

Just as an aside, I work in a setting where we don't have a 'holiday celebration' but we call it an 'annual gathering' so people who do not believe in celebrations of any kind can participate - that is TOTALLY fine. Truth is, we still all call it a Christmas party amongst ourselves.

BOTTOM LINE:(yes there is one)
A Christmas Tree is a Christmas Tree.
A menorah is a menorah.
A kinara(sp) is a kinara.

Lets just keep it real.

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Jewish people generally do not take off from work to celebrate this day.

---

I had another coworker (I have so many who act like I'm the first Jew they've EVER met) who asked me why I didn't take off for Chanukah last year. I explained to her what you just said..and I hope her daughter knew that, since she had just converted.

---

Posted by MrsP2Be

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Jewish people generally do not take off from work to celebrate this day.

---

I had another coworker (I have so many who act like I'm the first Jew they've EVER met) who asked me why I didn't take off for Chanukah last year. I explained to her what you just said..and I hope her daughter knew that, since she had just converted.

---

Yes, the only similarities between Chanukah and Christmas are that in both celebrations, gifts are exchanged and they both take place in the winter. There are MANY holidays in the Jewish faith, most of which are unknown to the non-Jewish community, that are regarded as much more holy.

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Yes, the only similarities between Chanukah and Christmas are that in both celebrations, gifts are exchanged and they both take place in the winter. There are MANY holidays in the Jewish faith, most of which are unknown to the non-Jewish community, that are regarded as much more holy.

---

I am curious, if there are other holidays that are more holy, why is it that Chanukah is the one that is the most well known to the non-Jewish community?

---

Posted by brooklynbridezilla

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Yes, the only similarities between Chanukah and Christmas are that in both celebrations, gifts are exchanged and they both take place in the winter. There are MANY holidays in the Jewish faith, most of which are unknown to the non-Jewish community, that are regarded as much more holy.

---

I am curious, if there are other holidays that are more holy, why is it that Chanukah is the one that is the most well known to the non-Jewish community?

---

My best guess on this is that it is usually around the same time as X-Mas and it involves giving gifts. Because it is a festive holiday it is more apt to be compared to X-Mas.

anyone else?

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Im Jewish and I am not offended by seeing a Christmas tree or even sharing the Christmas holiday with people to learn about it. It doesn't mean I am going to start to go to church for crying out loud.

And now that I think about it, I am more offended calling it a HOLIDAY tree because Jewish people don't USE trees to symbolize our winter holiday so it MISREPRESENTS what we believe in. Call it what it is a CHRISTMAS TREE and stop the nonsense.

---

Exactly!

---

Posted by diluvchu

Oh no, I don't think that at all. PLEASE don't think that of me. I completely think it was one of those atheist or non-religious groups trying to get on their high horses again. Please don't think I am accusing any religious group. That is not what I was saying.

---

I understand

---

Posted by brooklynbridezilla

---

Posted by Goldi1021

Yes, the only similarities between Chanukah and Christmas are that in both celebrations, gifts are exchanged and they both take place in the winter. There are MANY holidays in the Jewish faith, most of which are unknown to the non-Jewish community, that are regarded as much more holy.

---

I am curious, if there are other holidays that are more holy, why is it that Chanukah is the one that is the most well known to the non-Jewish community?

---

because both Christmas & Hanukkah gifts are exchanged and they are both typically around the same time of the year.