OK… let’s get a couple things straight here.

[-] There is not a vast left-wing conspiracy to secularize Christmas.Â? At least, there isn’t a conspiracy to secularize it any more than it already is.
[-] Not every person on this planet celebrates Christmas.Â? Thus, “Happy Holidays” is sometimes the better choice, especially since you normally can’t tell who is Jewish or Wiccan at this time of year.
[-] There is no religious significance to a Christmas tree.Â? There is nothing Scriptural about it.Â? It’s a pagan custom that was integrated into Christianity and is now a secular part of the holidays.Â? Ditto with the yule log, miseltoe, and holly.

Having said that, I’d like to tell my fundie Christian and Orthodox Jewish blogging friends who are up in arms over the holiday trees being taken down at Sea-Tac to CALM DOWN.Â? Sea-Tac was *not* trying to discriminate against the Chabad rabbi who requested permission to put up an electric menorah.Â? Likewise, taking the trees down was not an assault on Christmas — rather, it was trying to neutralize the situation because there was a lawsuit being threatened.

To the rabbi who started this mess: your timing was not good.Â? With the increased holiday traffic going through Sea-Tac, getting the menorah up would have been a logistical nightmare.Â? If you had gone to them in October and asked, I think the board of directors would have been more than happy to accomodate you.

Sea-Tac has actually said that they will start figuring out a way to exhibit holiday symbols for all religions celebrating December holidays next year.Â? Maybe the rabbi could work with the board on that, maybe donate a small menorah so that there could be a display that includes a creche, an Advent wreath, a menorah, some kinte cloth, and a yule log or something?

Or… perhaps we could find some neutral decorations like a wreath in a peace sign with candles since this is a season where we’re all praying for peace.

Let’s just please not make this a season of lawsuits and backbiting over whether it’s more appropriate to say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”.