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Celeb Blasts Woke Tree Lighting Events For Cutting Out Christmas

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Photo Credit: "Christmas tree outside New York Stock Exchange" by alistairmcmillan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.

Christmas culture wars collided with comedy this week after actor and comedian David Spade mocked what he described as a growing effort to preserve holiday traditions while deliberately avoiding Christianity.

Spade raised the issue during a recent episode of his podcast, “Fly on the Wall,” while speaking with longtime collaborator and former “Saturday Night Live” castmate Dana Carvey.

The conversation centered on a local mall ceremony that featured a seasonal tree lighting but avoided using the word “Christmas” altogether.

“I will say that Christmas is taking a little bit of a beating lately,” Spade said during the discussion.

He described witnessing a December event advertised simply as a “tree-lighting ceremony,” despite the visual centerpiece being a traditional Christmas tree.

According to Spade, organizers appeared careful to avoid religious references throughout the event.

“It is December, and I saw the other day there was a tree-lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree in some dopey mall, but it said ‘tree-lighting ceremony,’” Spade said.

“And they were careful not to say the word ‘Christmas’ during the whole ceremony,” he added, with Carvey responding, “No!”

Spade questioned the reasoning behind the language choice, suggesting that removing the holiday reference stripped the event of its meaning.

“Why? So it’s just a tree?” he asked. “And you go, I would understand if you said, ‘They’re doing the tree lighting at [a certain mall] or whatever. You go, ‘OK.’”

“To consciously avoid that, then what is the tree for?” Spade continued. “A December to remember? Is it a Lexus dealership? Why do we have — for the whole month? Isn’t it for Christmas?”

Carvey said he viewed Christmas as a holiday that has grown more inclusive over time, noting that it has taken on a largely secular role in American culture.

“I’ve never met someone from another religious faith that was upset about a Christmas tree,” Carvey said.

“I’d say stop that bulls**t,” Spade replied.

“Yeah, ’cause everyone loves Santa and the tree and all the trappings,” Carvey added.

“They like all things about it,” Spade said. “Don’t say that word.”

Carvey shared that while Christmas remains rooted in Christian belief, it has evolved into a broadly celebrated cultural holiday.

“If you’re of faith, it’s about Christianity,” Carvey said. “But I think at this point in America, it’s just Christmas. It’s a fun holiday.”

He also raised concerns about restricting language tied to religious traditions.

“I don’t like the thought police,” Carvey said. “I don’t like to have words I can’t use.”

Spade echoed that concern, saying he noticed a different standard applied to Christianity.

“I don’t like the anti-Christian feel because Christmas to me wasn’t really about that because I am Christian,” Spade said.

While Carvey described Spade as a “secular” and “lapsed” Christian, Spade responded by describing himself as “just more spiritual.”

Spade questioned why Christian references appear to draw heightened scrutiny compared to other faith traditions.

“Like is this where we get the hammer? You can’t say that about anyone else,” he said.

He also referenced global issues involving Christians. “We’re taking a beating down in Africa,” Spade said. “It’s like this is not the year to be Christian. I will tell you that.”

The conversation returned to the original tree-lighting example, with Spade saying he still planned to attend holiday events while resisting what he viewed as unnecessary language changes.

“We can call it a Christmas tree,” Spade said. “I’m still going to go to these malls. I still don’t want to offend people by saying it. But there’s so many things with different religions. You’re not allowed to slam someone else’s religion.”

Spade’s remarks followed a holiday controversy in Portland, Oregon, where city officials once again held an annual tree-lighting ceremony without using the word “Christmas.”

The event took place on Nov. 28 at Pioneer Courthouse Square and featured traditional holiday decorations, including a lit tree and an appearance by Santa Claus.

Despite the imagery, organizers promoted the gathering as “Portland’s 41st Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony,” according to social media posts associated with the location.

The program opened with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking attendees for gathering on Native American Heritage Day.

She introduced two younger members of the tribe, who also referred to the celebration solely as “the tree lighting,” before handing the microphone to another speaker.

That speaker, draped in a Palestinian flag, used her time on stage to lead the crowd in chants.

“This is the perfect time to bring this up. There are a lot of genocides going on,” she said during the ceremony.

“Can I get a ‘Free, free Palestine,’” she asked, with some members of the crowd responding.

She later led the audience in the “Strong Woman Song,” performing with two children and another woman, saying it “felt appropriate since we’re representing our matriarchs up here.”

The event still included a Santa Claus character, who interacted with families and later flipped the switch to illuminate the tree, which was decorated with roughly 10,000 lights.

Online reactions to Portland’s ceremony reflected frustration over the avoidance of Christmas language.

“They can’t even say Christmas tree in Portland. They call it ‘the tree,’” one user wrote on X.

“The Grinch is alive and well and living in Portland!” another commenter posted.

Others criticized the tone of the opening remarks.

“The beginning was so inappropriate,” one person said. “Portland is an absolute, oblivious gift to the far right.”

Additional users contrasted Portland with other parts of the country.

“Just saw a Christmas parade in Texas and everyone was saying Merry Christmas. God bless Texas,” one post read.

Similar debates have surfaced around Christmas displays at churches nationwide.

In Illinois, Lake Street Church of Evanston faced backlash after unveiling a Nativity scene designed to criticize immigration enforcement policies.

Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf compared the biblical account of Jesus’ birth to modern immigration issues.

“Jesus was born into a context … the Roman Empire, right?” Woolf said. “He immediately has to flee and go into exile and become a refugee.”

The display portrayed Roman centurions as ICE agents, with Joseph shown on the ground.

“Our baby Jesus has zip ties on his hands because that’s an actual incident that happened in our city,” Woolf said.

“These are real-world things that are happening, and we’re trying to depict them and bring the sacred into it to tell a story.”

In Massachusetts, St. Susanna Catholic Church in Dedham sparked controversy with a Nativity scene featuring an empty manger.

A sign next to the display read, “ICE was here,” followed by contact information for an immigration monitoring group.

Farther south, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas erected a Nativity display depicting Mary, Joseph and Jesus as modern immigrants inside a metal cage wrapped in barbed wire.

The silhouettes stood behind chain-link fencing alongside signs reading “Holy is the refugee” and “Holy are the profiled and patrolled.”

Inside the church, additional displays included empty chairs, protest-style signs and another manger beneath a board reading “ICE WAS HERE,” accompanied by questions asking, “Where is Mary?”, “Where is Joseph?” and “Where is Jesus?”

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