Public trees

As I worry about finishing Christmas cards and Christmas shopping this morning, I see all the news about the atheists who are objecting to municipal Christmas trees ("holiday" trees?). The blogs and newsgroups are full of angry Christians responding to that news. I'm always so amused when the Christians defend so vehemently the customs and traditions of those well-known tree worshippers, the Druids. Don't they know that during the Puritan period, Christmas trees were prohibited to Christians?

At the same time, when the non-Christians object to public displays of Christian nativity scenes, Jewish menorrahs, pagan Yule logs, and Druidic trees, why do they not object to having a free, paid holiday from work, which the federal, state, and local governments all call "Christmas Day"? No one sues to stop that.

My Tony is attempting to reject the Christianity of his upbringing, being the typical educated, liberal philosopher who finds all Christian mythology and tradition to be total bunk, and he's always asking me questions like "how can you profess to be intelligent and still go to church every week?" So, I've made a point to take him shopping with me while I buy expensive presents for all of my/our friends and family, and even though he's hinted not-so-subtly as to what he wants for Christmas (let no one say Tony has frugal tastes!), I've told him that since he's not a Christian, I'm not going to insult him by imposing my religious beliefs on him by giving him a Christmas present. I guess if he goes to Mass with me on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (I want him to turn pages for me on Christmas morning, but he's not inclined to wake up that early!), I'll give him a present, but otherwise, I'm not going to force my religion on him.

Ho ho ho.