SeaTac Airport Takes Down, Puts Up Christmas Trees

This is the time of year when the more sensitive of North America’s millions of Christians announce that there is a war on Christmas. Whether it’s being wished “Happy Holidays” or having a nativity scene removed from city hall, these folks are convinced that they are being persecuted. The latest episode comes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and it proves that the holiday spirit is sometimes more in keeping with April 1 than December 25.

The long and short of the story is that SeaTac put up 14 plastic “holiday trees.” An orthodox rabbi threatened a lawsuit if a menorah was not also displayed. CNN reported, “Airport managers believed that if they allowed the addition of an 8-foot-tall menorah to the display, as Seattle Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky had requested, they would also have to display symbols of other religions and cultures, which was not something airport workers had time for during the busiest travel season of the year, Airport Director Mark Reis said earlier Monday.” So, the “trees” (remember, they’re plastic) came down.

After that, some airline employees started putting 1-foot fake trees in the ticketing area, which is permitted since the airlines are private entities and they lease the space from the airport authority. Rabbi Bogomilsky was appalled that his request for equal time resulted in the trees’ removal. Mercifully, the Seattle Times reports that the rabbi has agreed not to sue, and the trees are back. The menorah issue is going to be deferred, but the rabbi will be included in plans for next year.

A little perspective is in order. SeaTac has an on-time departure percentage for 2005 of 74.54%. This is worse than LAX, Washington Dulles, and even Chicago’s O’Hare. Granted the weather in the region may have something to do with it, but Portland, Oregon’s is better, as is San Francisco International. Could it be that the staff are all too busy decorating rather than getting planes in and out of the airport? A war on Christmas is a laughable concept, since people this time of year expend more effort decorating and preparing than they do actually doing their regular jobs (certainly at SeaTac).

One would rather spend 20 minutes on the ground changing planes in a decoration-free airport than 4 hours waiting in the Winter Wonderland Concourse for an aircraft that hasn’t left Nashville yet. While this may appear a grinch-like sentiment at first, Christmas is a time of being with friends and family. None of them live at the airport. So, keep the trees, the menorahs and the rest to one side. Just speed the travelers on their way because no one deserves to spend any holiday at gate C-39. God bless us everyone.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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