Opinion ID: 550350
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: christmas trees as secular symbols

Text: 4 Lubavitch in asserting that a Christmas tree standing alone represents Christianity or the religious aspect of Christmas is attempting to expand the Supreme Court's determination that a Christmas tree is a secular symbol rather than a religious symbol. Lubavitch's argument borders on the frivolous in view of current case law. See County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, --- U.S. ----, 109 S.Ct. 3086, 106 L.Ed.2d 472 (1989); American Civil Liberties Union v. City of St. Charles, 794 F.2d 265, 271 (7th Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 961, 107 S.Ct. 458, 93 L.Ed.2d 403 (1986); Lubavitch of Iowa, Inc. v. Walters, 684 F.Supp. 610, 615 (S.D. Iowa 1988), aff'd, 873 F.2d 1161 (8th Cir.1989). In Allegheny, five justices specifically addressed the secular nature of Christmas trees and found them to be secular symbols, and we believe that the majority of the other four justices would agree. Justice Blackmun stated unequivocally that [t]he Christmas tree ... is not itself a religious symbol. Allegheny, 109 S.Ct. at 3113. Justice O'Connor agreed that the Christmas tree, whatever its origins, is not regarded today as a religious symbol. Id. at 3122. The retired Justice Brennan, joined by Justices Marshall and Stevens, was certain that the tree may, without controversy, be deemed a secular symbol if found alone even though he believed the presence of a Chanukah menorah caused the tree to take on religious significance. Id. at 3125. Justice Kennedy, joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist, Justice White and Justice Scalia, made no mention of the nature of a Christmas tree; but given these four Justices' opposition to excluding a creche standing alone from a public courthouse (Id. at 3134), it is unlikely that they would attach religious significance of constitutional magnitude to a Christmas tree. In view of this Supreme Court precedent, Lubavitch's argument that Christmas trees standing alone are Christian symbols wallows in a quagmire of quicksand. Furthermore, this Court's position on Lubavitch's argument should have been reasonably clear from our decision in American Civil Liberties Union v. City of St. Charles where we noted that a creche 5 is an unequivocal Christian symbol, unlike the Christmas tree and the reindeer and the tinsel and Santa Claus.... Christmas is a national holiday, celebrated by nonobservant Christians and many non-Christians, as well as by believing Christians. It owes its status, in part anyway, to the fact that most Christmas symbology either is unrelated to Christianity or is no longer associated with it in popular understanding.... Some symbols that are Christian ... have lost their Christian connotations. They are regarded by most people, including most Christians, as purely decorative. 6 City of St. Charles, 794 F.2d at 271 (emphasis added). This language hardly leaves much room for a good faith argument that a Christmas tree has religious meaning. 7 Indeed, Lubavitch's argument regarding the religious significance of Christmas trees has on previous occasions been specifically rejected on the basis of the Supreme Court's inclusion of Christmas trees in a list of other secular symbols in Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 1355, 79 L.Ed.2d 604 (1984), and on the basis of our holding in City of St. Charles. In Lubavitch of Iowa, Inc. v. Walters, the district court noted both cases and then held [i]n view of this authority, I must conclude that the state's display of Christmas trees does not constitutionally require that the state permit display of the menorah. 684 F.Supp. at 615. On appeal, the Eighth Circuit did not specifically address the nature of Christmas trees, but it stated that [w]e find Lubavitch's claim borders on the frivolous. 873 F.2d at 1163. We agree. 3 8 The current jurisprudence regarding the secular nature of Christmas trees is further buttressed by the historical origins of Christmas trees. Most authorities on the subject agree that the use of greenery in general and Christmas trees in particular are derived from ancient pagan customs: 9 The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as a symbol of eternal life was an ancient custom of the Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Tree worship, common among the pagan Europeans, survived after their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil and of setting up a tree for the birds during Christmas-time; it survived further in the custom, also observed in Germany, of placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the house in the mid-winter holidays. 10 The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 3 at 284 (15th ed. 1990) (emphasis added). Thus, it seems that the initial use of evergreen trees at Christmas time were used to worship nature (pantheism) rather than paying respect to a Christian God. Other authors have also noted the pantheistic source of Christmas trees: 11 the presence of the ... evergreens ... is one of the ... contributions which paganism made to [Christmas]. The ... custom has its roots in the profound reverence of the ancients for all natural phenomena. To their simple and unartificial minds Nature was everywhere alive. Every fountain had its spirit, every mountain its deity and every water, grove and meadow its supernatural associations. 12 W. Auld, Christmas Traditions 99 (1931). 4 These pagan associations of the Christmas tree has caused it to be rejected often by Christians. Alfred C. Hottes observed that the pagan roots of decorating with greenery made such decorations controversial in the church. 13 The use of evergreens was so closely associated with the garlands of pagan days that in many of the early church celebrations they were forbidden. For instance, Bishop Martin of Barcae, in 575 forbade the use of all greenery and 'other dangerous Calend customs.' It was therefore not until the sixteenth century that Christian houses were commonly decorated. 14 A. Hottes, One Thousand and One Christmas Facts and Fancies, 71-72 (1959). Noted religious historian E.O. James concluded that the celebration of the Christmas season at the time of the winter solstice, which was the focus of a great variety of pagan rites, resulted in a syncretization of pagan and Christian customs. 15 Thus, around the Christmas Festival, a great variety of ancient seasonal customs and beliefs from a number of different sources clustered, originally observed from the beginning of November to the end of January, particularly those connected with the winter solstice rites on December 25 and the Kalends of January, the Roman New Years Day, characterized by rejoicings, the decoration of houses with greenery and lights, carousals, well-laden tables and fire rites. With them were combined Dionysian elements from the festival of Dionysus on January 5, and perhaps from Osirian sources associated with the birthday of Osiris in Alexandria.... 16 E.O. James, Seasonal Feasts and Festivals 231-32 (1961). 17 From the foregoing discussion it is clear that the use of Christmas trees and other greenery during what has become one of our holiday seasons 5 did not originate with Christianity. Indeed, the first record of the use of an evergreen as a Christmas tree is in an anonymous manuscript of 1605 from Strassburg. From there the custom spread slowly and apparently came to America with German settlers in Pennsylvania. C. Hole, Christmas and Its Customs 18 (195-). Furthermore, the public erection of Christmas trees is of even more recent origin. The first communal Christmas tree was erected by the citizens of Pasadena, California, in 1909 on Mount Wilson, and in 1912 a Christmas tree was erected in Madison Square Park, New York. See Id. at 20. Thus, the tradition of erecting Christmas trees in public places, which Lubavitch would like to have us characterize as distinctively Christian, is less than a century old whereas Christianity has been around for nearly two thousand years. Lubavitch's position is further undermined by the overwhelming use of Christmas trees by the majority of Americans of religious as well as non-religious persuasion alike. Hence, Lubavitch's assertion that the Christmas tree tends to bring to mind, draws attention to and enhances the celebration of [Jesus Christ] ... is without foundation. 18 Because we hold that Christmas trees standing alone or among other secular symbols of Christmas are without religious connotation, Chicago's inclusion of Christmas trees with its decorations at O'Hare during the Christmas season while refusing to allow Lubavitch to erect free-standing Chanukah menorahs fails to constitute religious discrimination or an equal protection violation. We believe that under Allegheny, the City has the option of allowing the erection of Chanukah menorahs or other religious symbols along with the secular displays, or even including them in its own displays, but on the other hand, we see no reason to mandate that Allegheny provides a basis for Lubavitch's assertion that Chicago must allow it to erect free-standing Chanukah menorahs in the public areas of O'Hare along with the City's Christmas decorations. 6 Lubavitch's claim cannot prevail, for it has failed to establish that the display of Christmas trees at O'Hare is religious expression or that Chicago has violated the Equal Protection Clause by refusing to allow Lubavitch's free-standing Chanukah menorah.