Tis' the season to get silly, again.
The high priced editors of our daily newspapers threw everything they had to the debate - Should a Christmas tree be called a Holiday Tree or a Seasonal tree or a just a Tree
From mega-streeters to the pundits to the politicians to the rabid talk radio hosts - the response was overwhelming. Leave the Christmas tree be.
Not examined was just who are the fools behind this great Canadian seasonal debate about whether Christ should stay in Christmas.
When the debate lost steam and the editors sent their reporters to cover other Christmas silliness, the residual perception is that there is an army of new Canadians with their variety of religious beliefs who want the Christmas tree banished and replaced with a more politically correct version.
That feeling, however incorrect, has given racist bigots more ammunition to target minority groups whom they continuously blame for diluting everything Canadian.
Not one newspaper felt it necessary to find out just who or what triggered the recent spate of dictums regarding the Christmas Tree.
If they did, they would be hard pressed to find a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist or a Sikh behind any of the decrees.
What they would have found in most cases is a bored WASP official or committee trying to be politically correct.
This year's seasonal debate about the tree exploded in Toronto when the mayor of Hogtown, Mel Lastman decided that the 50-foot pine in Nathan Phillips Square "has always been and always will be a Christmas tree."
"Our special events staff went too far with their political correctness when they called it a holiday tree," Lastman said.
"They were trying to be inclusive and their hearts were in the right place, but you can't be politically correct all the time."
For your information the head of Toronto's Special Events unit is someone with the very Christian sounding name of Jaye Robinson.
Then we have the Canadian mint, you know the loonies who burdened us with the Twonies.
A Christmas ad campaign by the Royal Canadian Mint dropped the name of the holiday from a jingle based on "The Twelve Days of Christmas," prompting criticism from religious figures and conservative politicians.
The government-funded mint's TV ad substitutes the word "giving" for "Christmas" in the song.
Mint spokesman Phil Taylor said the switch was a marketing decision, because Christmas is a time for gifts and the mint wants consumers to consider giving its coins as presents.
Again we don't see any participation from those who lit upnewspaper switchboards like a Christmas tree saying we should not bow to the "wants" of Hindus, Muslims etc.
If that is not enough, we have Nanaimo school suprintendant Carola Lane who reminded everyone she controls not to call events "Christmas concerts" or include nativity scenes "unless the event is celebrating a variety of winter religious observances."
Not to be outdone, The B.C. government led by Gordon Campbell is simply going to call the huge decorated evergreen in the legislative rotunda - The Tree.
The mainstream newspapers who decked their pages with quotes of folly during the debate should realise that those wanting to take Christ out of Christmas are not your average New Canadians.
We like most new Canadians believe that Christmas is as important and unique a religious occasion as is Deepavali for the Hindus, Baisakhi for the Sikhs, Hannukah for the Jewish, Chinese New Year for the Chinese and Aid Il-Fitri for the Muslims.
The celebration of Christmas with Christmas trees, with Christmas Carols and Christmas Nativity plays is an important part of this nation's multicultural mosaic.
So forget the seasonal silliness that was ratcheted up by the politically correct and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS.
