Christmas Tree or Holiday Tree? What should the state of Wisconsin call the giant decorated evergreen standing tall in the middle of the Capitol rotunda? Many of you probably think it doesn't matter, and it would be easy to say the question is not important enough to merit a serious discussion. I think it does. To be sure, there are greater injustices and greater controversies in our state that deserve legislative attention, but this too is important. It's important because it goes far beyond a discussion of what to call the tree — it's a discussion about the separation between church and state, and about whether the state erecting a Christmas tree in the middle of the Capitol violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
I hate to be the Grinch. I like Christmas and I like Christmas trees, but my solution would be to get rid of the tree. Let it stand through the holidays, but don't bring it back next year. Until, and unless, our state legislators can agree to both call and conceptualize the tree as a "Holiday Tree," the Capitol rotunda is not an appropriate place for it to stand.
If you listen to Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, decorated evergreens are a historically pagan tradition, and not necessarily tied to Christmas or Christianity. The problem, though, is that I think Badger Herald Editorial Board Chairman Ryan Masse and Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, who introduced a bill this week to officially change the tree's name to the "Wisconsin State Christmas Tree," are right. As Mr. Schneider told a Herald reporter this week, "It is what it is." While Ms. Gaylor's history lesson may be accurate, it is clear very few Wisconsinites actually think of the tree in those terms.
It doesn't have to be a Christmas tree, but it is one. And if Mr. Schneider had not pointed that out, it would have been someone else. It's become an expected tradition of the holiday season in this state for any number of self-righteously Christian legislators to point to the tree as an example of a cultural war against Christmas or an inappropriate degree of political correctness. The tree has been dubbed the Holiday Tree since 1985, but a significant number of state politicians have refused to ever accept it as such.
In his column above, Mr. Masse joins the fray, calling Wisconsin's holiday tree "political correctness run completely amok." But he misplaces the blame; political correctness is not the problem, in this case. Nothing would be wrong with a secular celebration — a holiday tree — proudly displayed in the Capitol rotunda. The problem is that it is not actually a secular celebration, and is therefore not appropriate. The solution is not to change the name to accurately reflect what it is, but to throw it away because, as Mr. Schneider said, "It is what it is."
No matter what we call the tree, it is a religious symbol, whether Ms. Gaylor or I like it or not. To make matters worse, this symbol is ceremoniously placed in the center of the state Capitol building, towering up above the second floor. So, if it is a religious symbol, which I think it is, it should not be there. Given that the state pays for it, I don't think it should be anywhere, especially not on Capitol grounds, and especially not erected in imposing fashion at the heart of the building.
The separation of church and state is a worthwhile ideal, and a Christmas tree is just not worth an exception.
Mike Gendall ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in philosophy and political science.
