Poll: Christmas Tree, Or Holiday Tree?

[Ian David]

Poll: Christmas Tree, Or Holiday Tree?
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is hosting a 'holiday tree' lighting next week, despite objections.

http://middletown.patch.com/articles/poll-christmas-tree-or-holiday-tree

[TruthBeTold65]

1. There was no such thing as "Christmas Tree" until the early 20th...

...century...at least in America. Before that it was just "an evergreen tree". Since it is decorated we could probably go with "a decorated evergreen tree".

:D

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Though used in British English back in 1835

1835 A. J. Kempe in Loseley MSS. 75 We remember a German of the household of the late Queen Caroline, making what he termed a Christmas tree for a juvenile party.
1848 Illustr. London News 1 Jan. 431/1 Christmas Festivities at Windsor‥the sideboards were surmounted with stately ‘Christmas Trees’, glittering with pendant bonbons, etc.
1853 J. W. Carlyle Lett. II. 238, I‥had nothing to do but dress dolls for a Christmas-tree.
1869 Hazlitt Brand's Pop. Antiq. (1870) I. 287 But the Christmas-tree‥came to us from Germany directly‥and is still (1869) a flourishing institution among us.

From the Oxford English Dictionary.

[uriel1972]

2. It may be because we are still a bit more homogenised

Than the US, but Australia doesn't have the various "Xmasized" holidays from from different cultures. It's known as Christmas/Xmas and they are known as Christmas Trees here. Meh fighting against that makes you look silly here. I don't mind them being Christmas trees, but I'm not on the forefront of the religious/culture wars.

On a side note people here are always complaining about the commercialisation of Christmas, which to me seems silly because as a festival it always was.

[amyrose2712]

3. I like Sheldon Cooper's explanaiton-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoj6vQHdzHo


Not sure if is it completely factually correct, for I am no historian. But I like is none the less. Plus any reason to post my little moonpie Sheldon is good enough for me.

[Odin2005]

4. YULE TREE!!!

[salvorhardin]

5. Fire hazard?

[MrModerate]

6. Because the holiday is called Christmas . . .

I have no problem calling the plastic horror (no traditional US cut trees available in Australia) that we erect in the corner every year a "Christmas tree." The Christ part is completely irrelevant to me, so I just don't care.

On the other hand, I'm a great proponent of "Happy Holidays" vs "Merry Christmas," for exactly the same reason.

[JNelson6563]

7. 74% support Holiday Tree

:toast: