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Dmatix t1_j14gs9k wrote

Reply to comment by thornaad in Menorah lit inside Capitol in Harrisburg by citytiger

That's nonsense. The Christmas tree is, well, a Christmas tree. Christmas, despite what some insist nowadays, remains powerfully Christian, as do all of its symbols, the tree included. That people suggest that it isn't just reinforces how powerful of a Christian normative mark US society has.

The Christmas tree, Santa Claus, all the rest of it - it's all Christian.

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thornaad t1_j14hbye wrote

No. There's no Christmas tree (pine or épicea tree) related to the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. One could argue about the nativity scene with the little depiction of the crib, the donkey etc and ofc the baby Jesus... That's definitely linked.

Christmas trees with gifts and decorations, red and white fat old man with a beard delivering presents to kids on a sleigh with reindeers...

Nah.

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Dmatix t1_j14j2qo wrote

That's not how religion, culture or traditions work. That there wasn't a tree at the nativity scene doesn't mean a thing - the nativity scene didn't appear out of thin air when Christianity was formed either - it appeared centuries after.

The gifts, tree and all the rest are culturally Christian traditions, just like eating specific foods or giving Hanukkah money is Jewish cultural tradition. It cannot be divorced from it, and it is not some universal tradition with no background. It doesn't make it bad or anything, but it's important to acknowledge it for what it is.

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