Tree Truth

We are fast approaching the Christmas Season.  The Season where Christians around the world demonstrate their faith and joy in the promise of rebirth and renewal that is inherent in this great and ancient religion.   It is the Season of Giving, Forgiving, and Thankfulness to which every Christian aspires.

There soon will be decorating, food preparations, gift buying, concerts, and trees.   Ah yes....the trees.  That traditional Christian Christmas icon that stands as a symbol of promise and eternal life with its ever green pine needles as well as fitting nicely into  several Biblical metaphors of strength, connectivity, and endurance .  Trees will serve as the focus of the Christmas Season and will have offerings of mysteriously wrapped gifts placed underneath to be given as tokens as love and friendship amid cheers of Merry Christmas echoing throughout the land. 

Nothing could be nicer.  Well almost nothing.

One thing that could be nicer would be the ceasing of Christians complaining that some people want to call their precious decorated trees Holiday Trees. 

I say to these Christians  Who cares?  If  I want to call the tree that I bring into the house...real or artificial a Christmas tree I will.  If the mayor of a city or councilman/woman wants to call it a Holiday Tree...who cares?  I certainly don't.   

What I do care about is the fact that the very same people who proclaim that Christmas is their festival,  basic to their religious beliefs, and part of their heritage forget that prior to having Christmas Trees as part of any Christian celebration the main duty of a Christian was to worship, pray, and spread the Good News.

Christians seem to have forgotten this far more ancient and traditional behavior.  One can sense this by how many empty pews there are in churches across the countryside on any given Sunday compared to how many Shopping Malls are open and filled to overflow with Seasonal shoppers.

It has long been my contention that if Christians truly want the decorated Christmas Tree to reflect the Christmas meaning then Christmas Trees should  primarily be sold from Church yards with the proceeds going to charity. Then they could be  called undeniably what they  are and  could actually serve to be part of the   Message instead of being an instrument for pseudo Christians to protest yet again against other religions and cultures.


Tree Truth:  I have never heard anyone say to me personally that a decorated evergreen tree  is anything but a Christmas Tree.  Then again I have not referred to a turban or a niqab as anything  other than what they are.  

Might there be a connection? 
 
 
 







 

Suprise!

1.  Why are we surprised even a little bit that a 22 year old woman married to a 69 year old man --a  Canadian Senator no less--decides to drink too much and finally tells her husband of one year what she thinks of him.  Yes it was unfortunate that she threatened to slit his throat while at the same time being aboard a commercial air flight over the Canadian Prairies.  I do agree it was inappropriate and probably very upsetting to all who were present on the flight witnessing this domestic fiasco...but at the same time all I am stating is "Why is anyone surprised?"

2.  The issue of William and Kate  and her photographed bosom. Why are people so  surprised re: the pictures of her mammery glands? Why do people have to look at 'her's'? Did they think she didn't have any? Were they supposed to be rare or different in any remarkable way in terms of number (an Anne Bolyn reference), colour (a tat or two?), form (square or triangular perhaps?). Or is it that society has not enough uncovered boobies to look at in many movies and/or television docudramas?  And why, oh beautiful Kate, are you surprised that you were photographed at all? Do you think that you could actually bare all outside in broad daylight (no pun intended), in this day and age, without getting your upper torso focused on?  It's hardly like you haven't had people take your picture before.  I say put those things back in your room and close the curtains, and if they still get put on the National Post front page then you can sue.


3. Why are people so upset or surprised that the term Holiday Tree is going to be used?  What is it about  the water downed Christian mentality that believes that  Christmas Trees and Santa Claus has anything remotely to do with the Virgin Birth of Jesus in a manger?    I believe the Christians of the right wing fundamentalist  ilk along with the Easter/Christmas funeral/wedding goers of the mainline churches are more likely the cause of the befouling of the traditional Christmas terminology applied to a tinselled and bejewelled, electronically  lighted overgrown, domestically raised , chainsaw shaped, as well as  sometimes plastic imitation of a coniferous tree supposedly brought down from the wild and natural woods that has been deemed the sacred symbol of Our Lord's Birth on Earth.

Christmas Trees have pagan roots.  There is no where in the Christmas Story or  indeed the Bible that states that Joseph along with that cute little drummer boy crawled up to the loft of the manger to drag down baubles, strung popcorn and candles to decorate an Olive Tree (no conifers were being imported at that time--plastic or recycled) to celebrate Jesus' birth.  There weren't even any PRESENTS until the kings showed up ( about two years later)  let alone any mention at all..ever..ever ...ever of some sort of magical elf that brought   various items  to symbolize love, value, and worth of the recipient ironically replacing the message of His being placed on Earth in the first place; and which would cause Joseph  and generations of others  ultimately to have to remortgage the ass (donkey) in order to pay for it all.

    It is NOT our right as Christians to call it a Christmas tree...particularly when during the other 50 weeks of the year 80% of the Christians who celebrate Christmas neither read the Bible, go to church or live according to the teachings of Jesus in terms of loving kindness to neighbours at home or abroad.

 Why hasn't this happened before this , this calling of a 'Christmas' Tree a 'Holiday' Tree you query?  Is it because  of all the non Christmas celebrating immigrants entering the Western World? Is it because of some immoral societal slide perpetrated by dark terrorists waiting to take over our faith and culture?   I say neither of these are the reason, but rather it is because of the lackadaisical attitude and poor example of valued Christian living and forgiveness that neither fundamentalists or Easter/Christmas Christians have displayed.   It is this outpouring of  crocodile tears around  the naming of something that is, in all likelihood, festooned with Made in Indonesia (by children)  sparkled plastic,  that makes people like  Ben Stein and others rightly point out..."We Reap What We Sow".

HO! HO! HO!