a simple secular Christmas tree

--Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson
Christmas Tree Vs. Menorah Debate Heats Up In Fort Collins

Even members of my own extended family believe Christmas trees "aren't religious." They say it's just a tradition.

Right. A tradition for Christians.

The next argument is "Actually, it's pagan."

Uh... no, actually, it's Christian. If you're going to exempt anything with a pagan origin from Christianity, you're going to be left with pretty much nothing but what Jesus said. Which is not the same thing as the Christian religion.

And anyway, the "Actually, it's pagan" argument shows no respect at all for the truth. It's just a dodge-and-weave to win the argument. You know very well it's a Christmas tree.

The next argument is "People of all religions put up Christmas trees. It's not a Christian symbol anymore."

If a Christian puts a menorah in her house, does it stop being a Jewish symbol?

Of course not.

If every Christian in the world did it, would it stop being a Jewish symbol?

No. It would just be a menorah in a Christian household.

The next argument is "Why is it so bad that once a year, people are actually nice to each other?"

I think that's a great idea. Not really relevant to the conifer in conflict, but a grand, secular, human notion.

That coincidentally falls on the traditional birthday of Jesus Christ.

I'm not annoyed at the presence of the Christmas tree in a Texas airport. I'm annoyed at people showing no respect for the truth and wriggling like addicts caught with needles in their arms. It's not what it looks like!

Yeah it is.

It's.

A.

CHRISTMAS.

Tree.

So either take it out of the airport, or let everybody put their religious symbols up, too.

Personally, I'd prefer the former. But either way, at least be true, be honest, be respectful, and be fair.