It's a Pagan Tree...

[Playinghardball]

[Jackpine Radical]

1. It's a Solstice Tree.

Or if you will, a Jul (Yule) tree. It is put up to celebrate the Great Annual Turning of the Cosmic Wheel (or Jul in Old Norse).

Godt Jul.

[dipsydoodle]

2. And whilst on the subject - do not use lights on a Christmas palm tree.

[GladRagDahl]

3. Wheeeee

[malthaussen]

4. Loved that the first time I saw it.

Spread a little Joy this Christmas...

-- Mal

[niyad]

18. oh my gosh, I just took a good look at this!!!

[PDJane]

22. Our Agnes laughed so hard she spilt her tea;

She claimed that she always knew there was a reason she didn't like those things.

[sakabatou]

26. Hehehehe

[CrispyQ]

5. It took all weekend, but I finally got the tree up:

[LiberalElite]

25. you must not have any cats nt

[niyad]

6. I love pointing out to the little fundie nut jobs that this holidy they revere so much that they

DEMAND that everybody call it by THEIR chosen name, was stolen from the pagans, including all the "traditional" elements of the celebration. so much fun watching their teeny weeny widdle heads explode.

[Wounded Bear]

8. De riguer for them...

after all, they're pretty protective of the money they stole from all of us, too.

[WinkyDink]

10. DO you, now? Do you also love pointing out to A-A's that Kwanzaa is a totally made-up

20th C. "festival" completely unrelated to their history? HMMM???

I'll bet not.

[niyad]

12. I don't notice anyone getting in my face and insisting that I celebrate kwanzaa, or insisting that

I call it by a specific name. as I said, I only get into it with people who are actually in personal face about "the war on christmas". have not heard anything about "the war on kwanzaa"

[eShirl]

19. Is anyone denying that it originated in the 20th century?

A: no.

[PDJane]

11. A rather ascerbic friend of mine, walking into the company Christmas party,

Said, "imagine....all that fuss over one murdered Talmud student and the pagan urge to celebrate the solstice..."

[niyad]

14. I am so glad I wasn't drinking my coffee!!

[PDJane]

15. General hilarity ensued..........

[LanternWaste]

17. More accurately, it's a historical concept known as acculturation

"was stolen from the pagans.."

More accurately, it's a historical concept known as 'acculturation' (also 'cultural appropriation') in which societies and cultures in close proximity to each other, over a period of time share traditions, diets, social institutions, values, customs, etc.-- often without realizing it-- in a two-way process of exchange.

[eShirl]

20. it was the policy of the church to slap a new name and meaning on old local customs

I didn't steal that, I appropriated it

[NuclearDem]

7. They should also start celebrating Jesus' birth in the late spring as well.

[WinkyDink]

9. Oh, BFD.

[Mariana]

13. Really.

Why get uptight because someone calls it a "Holiday Tree" instead of a "Christmas Tree"?

[LanternWaste]

16. More technically, it's a plant... everything else is either cultural symbolism or individual petulan

More technically, it's a plant... everything else is either cultural symbolism or individual petulance.

But then again, what's the point to get technical about the holidays during the holidays?

[freshwest]

23. "It's just a plant!" He said before it nearly destroyed the top secret government facility:

[Orsino]

21. Even more specifically, it's fake. n/t

[freshwest]

24. Christmas, Xmas, Winter Solstice, Holiday, Meh. Have a good time, no matter what you call it...

[Niceguy1]

27. people put too much thought into these things

Just enjoy the season.....and have a merry Christmas!!!