Letters: Christmas display hoo-ha begins
Roosevelt Field mall has added this Christmas tree to its Santa photo display. Credit: Debra Huber Hansen
Now that the holiday season is upon us, and the annual public Christmas display controversies have begun, I'd like to remind everyone that Christmas Day is a national holiday in our country, not a religious holiday ["Oh, Christmas tree!" News, Nov. 10].
It's part of our history, is inclusive, and should be celebrated by all U.S. citizens regardless of race, creed or religion. If you choose to also celebrate it in accordance with your Christian religion privately, that's fine.
No U.S. citizen should ever be offended or feel excluded by traditional public secular displays of Christmas, including Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer, etc., or by the greeting "Merry Christmas," because it is, and always has been, 100 percent American.
Leo Farrell, St. James
Am I one of the few people left who is wondering why, amid all this supposed furor over a Christmas mall display, that the real anger isn't directed over the fact that this is taking place during the first week of November?
It's becoming so increasingly disheartening, year after year, that the Thanksgiving season continues to get overshadowed and infiltrated by Christmas -- and I'm Catholic.
Thanksgiving used to be a wonderful lead-in holiday to the entire season, filled with family joy and a spirit of giving. Now it's just a doormat for Christmas. Can we all stop trying to rush things?
Tom Sena, Merrick
