At Rideau Hall, they're so open-minded their brains are falling out

Hat tip to Danny Kaye for this piece of left-wing lunacy. Of course, we'll soon be into the season of "winter parties" and the like.

While on the subject of defending Judeo-Christian traditions, I'm reminded of the time we had a multicultural lunch at a former workplace and I brought potato chips and Coke to celebrate the culture of America.

That didn't go over all too well. Bah humbug, I say.

Tradition trumps inclusiveness
It's a Christmas tree

Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Rideau Hall performed a rapid about-face on the name of its seasonal evergreen yesterday after a staff member called it a "holiday tree" in a CBC interview.

"At Rideau Hall, we will be putting up a holiday tree as we find it reflects the traditions of many cultures, and it is inclusive," Rideau Hall spokeswoman Lucie Brosseau said.

Not so fast. Soon after, in response to a query from the Citizen, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean's spokesman said there had been a mistake. It was a Christmas tree after all.

The Governor General had always intended for the tree to be of the Christmas variety, Randy Mylyk said, but there was an error by a "well-intentioned" employee.

"In her life experience it was always a Christmas tree," said Mr. Mylyk of the Governor General, adding that at Rideau Hall the tree has always been called a "Christmas tree."

"We've had a few calls," he said. "We spoke to Her Excellency and clearly, it was her intent that it was to be a Christmas tree."

The Christmas-holiday confusion comes a week after a Canadian tree donated to the city of Boston became a hot-button issue. Boston bureaucrats attracted the ire of a Nova Scotia logger by calling the 14-metre white spruce he donated to the city a "holiday tree" in a press release.

Last week, after evangelist Jerry Falwell's Liberty Counsel threatened to sue Boston for spreading misinformation about Christmas celebrations in public places, logger Donnie Hatt said if he knew Boston had decided to call his spruce a "holiday tree" he would have put it through the wood chipper.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told reporters last Thursday that he would call the spruce a Christmas tree.

"I grew up with a Christmas tree, I'm going to stay with a Christmas tree," he said.