Oh Christmas tree, what art thou?

Oh Christmas tree... ooops I mean Holiday tree.... no I mean Oh spruce tree.... no what do I mean?
Last week Nova Scotians proudly sent a huge tree to Boston just like they have every Christmas since the Halifax explosion of 1917. The gesture was one of gratitude for the help sent from the United States to that community.
However, as we are all aware it is getting less and less easy for us to maintain traditions without having to worry about stepping on someone’s toes.
The city council of Boston decided that it was not politically correct to call it a Christmas tree. Instead they called it a Holiday tree. Well as soon as that hit the streets there was debate in both Boston and Nova Scotia. In fact the debate reverberated across Canada and the U.S.
The entire debate about how much religion should be embedded into our daily lives has gone on for decades. But it has just been the past several years where it has seen Christianity stripped from many facets of society.
The Lord’s Prayer is no longer recited daily in schools. Town council no longer says a prayer... they have a moment of silent reflection... what they reflect on is a mystery to me.
This country and the U.S. were founded on Christian principles and beliefs. Every December we celebrate that fact by recognizing the birth of Christ. We have been gracious enough to open our borders to all races and beliefs. No one has told anyone that they have to convert to Christianity when they arrive here, but just as we are expected to when visiting Muslim or other countries with different faiths, there is some degree of respect expected.
It is a Christmas tree, not a Holiday tree.
–Until then,
Ken