Durham, NH, Ditches Tree Lighting and More Due to Complaints

Someone in Durham, NH, is offended by the town's annual tree lighting ceremony.

CBS Boston is reporting that some individuals also feel the town's wreaths that are usually hung about lamp posts made them not feel included. So, Durham is calling their usual Christmas Celebration a “Frost Festival.”

There will still be a Christmas tree in town, and Santa will be around, but he won’t be attending this event on the firetruck as he normally does each year, the news station reported.  There also will be no Evergreen Wreaths hung about, and missing will be the big countdown to the tree lighting ceremony.

You might be surprised at some of the citizens who are upset about the town’s changes.

One vocal opponent of the change is Rabbi Berel Slavaticki.

CBS Boston quotes the rabbi as saying “To stop cultures and faiths from practicing publicly would be very un-American. I think that’s the beauty of our country.” Town Councilor Sally Tobias said in the article, “I will state that trees and Santas and wreaths are not Christian, and we would like to hear back from the community. We’d like to hear what they think about it.”

I bet Tobias will get an earful.