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NOTHING WRONG WITH
QUESTIONING TRADITIONS |
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It's that time of year again. Whether you're Christian,
Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or Atheist, you can't escape Christmas.
Everywhere you go, it's in your face.
Not everyone, though, has to buy a Christmas tree and lug it
into your house. That's left for traditionalists like me. But there comes
a time when traditions need to be questioned.
"What do you say we don't kill a tree this year?" I
asked my wife the other day. "I don't see the point."
"We're getting a tree," she replied, dismissing me
as usual. "You're disrespecting Christmas."
"It's just not as much fun as it used to be," I
said. "I liked it better when the kids were young."
"That was about 30 years ago. Get over it."
It used to be so exciting. We'd plan a trip to the Christmas
tree lot and argue with the kids over which tree to buy. I'd try, and
fail, to explain the different types of trees (what the hell is a Noble
Fir, anyway?) and then we'd argue over size. A couple of times we even
went to one of those farms and cut down our own tree.
We'd finally agree on a choice and bring it home. I'd string
the lights, and everyone else would handle the decorations. When done, I
would put the star on the top and turn on the lights. We'd all gleefully
embrace the tradition.
That was then and this is now. No kids, not nearly as much
fun. My wife and I go to the lot, pick out a tree in about 30 seconds, pay
our $100, strap it to the car and lug it up the stairs, spilling pine
needles all over.
Then I string the lights, pine needles prickling my arms as I
reach around to light the back. She decorates, and I still put the star on
top. The good news is the tree gets shorter every year, and I can now
reach it without a ladder. Otherwise, it might get ugly.
There's nothing wrong with questioning traditions. It is kind
of weird putting a dead tree in your house for a couple of weeks every
year. I decided to do some research as to how that happened.
Apparently, it's not the Christian's fault. Long before
Christianity, ancient people put evergreens in their home because they
thought it would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. Now
that made sense.
Taking the evergreen thing to the next step, Germany is
credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century
when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. They then
brought the tradition to America in the 18th century.
However, it didn't catch on for a while, except in the German
community. As late as the 1840's, Christmas trees were seen as Pagan
symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
Then Queen Victoria got in the act. She was pictured in 1847
in the London News with her children around a Christmas tree, and East
Coast American society pounced on it. The Christmas tree had arrived.
I checked in with my wife. "Christmas trees are a Pagan
symbol," I announced. "What do you think of that?"
"I like Pagans," she replied. "Another reason
to have a tree."
"How about an artificial tree?" I asked, despite my
aversion to them. "We wouldn't be killing a tree every year."
This time she looked it up. "Real trees support
forests," she said, reading from the internet. "Tree farms are a
healthy habitat that wildlife depends on to survive. And artificial
trees require carbon emissions to produce and ship. And they're not
recyclable."
It looked like we were going to buy a tree. I only had one
last argument. "What about my parents and your parents?" I
asked. "They stopped buying and decorating trees at some point."
She couldn't believe I brought it up. "THAT'S BECAUSE
THEY GOT OLD!"
Good point. I suddenly found the Christmas spirit. I was
going to the tree lot this weekend and pick out the biggest, strongest,
heaviest, tallest tree I could find. I let my wife know my newfound
intentions.
"No, you're not," she replied. "We'll get the
usual post-kid six-footer and you'll be able to put the star on the top
without killing yourself."
Excellent compromise. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
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