'Tis The Season

(AP)

The "C&C" staff takes a back seat to no one when it comes to celebrating the holidays. We are a festive bunch. That includes trimming the tree. (Don't ask us to untangle the lights, though. There was that unpleasant incident a few years back when the knotted string of lights was finally hurled against the wall -- making a festive display that took lots of spackle and paint to remove. But we digress.)

So when we heard about the recent unpleasantness at the Seattle airport, we were baffled. And befuddled.

Certainly, we can appreciate the rabbi wanting a spirit of inclusiveness at a major transit hub. But it seems to us a menorah is an overtly religious symbol. A Christmas tree, frankly, isn't. Indeed, its roots (pun intended)are purely pagan and it has nothing to do with the nativity story at all.

It seems to me, the point of this holiday season is, inevitably, light -- spiritual, salvific, or electric. We are entering the darkest time of year. We crave wattage. Whether it comes from a candle in a menorah, or a bulb in a tree, or a baby in a manger, we seek illumination, and radiance.

So bring back the trees. String bulbs. Light candles, whether in a menorah or on a branch, and let's keep darkness at bay.

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