I just finished erecting our Holiday Tree in our living room.

[MineralMan]

That was prompted by my wife saying, "Maybe we should put the tree up before Thanksgiving this year." Her word, as always, is my command.

My job ends with the re-assembly of the 25-year-old artificial tree and the re-spreading of its hundreds of branchlets, along with the bringing upstairs of the bins of decorative items stored in the unused bedroom in our basement. Once that is done, I relinquish all responsibility for the rest of our holiday decorations. And there are many, many of them.

My wife celebrates all and sundry year-end Winter holidays with decorations. All traditions, both religious and profane, are represented by items gathered here and there for the almost three decades we have been together. I leave all of that to her, because that is her preference, since I tend to make disparaging comments about the religious aspects of all those holidays. She's an atheist, too, but is more generous in her tolerance for religious symbolism than I am.

It's quite a display by the time she finishes pulling everything out of those bins and placing them here and there, and after I have taken the bins, empty, back to the basement. But one thing is certain: Any person entering our home between Thanksgiving and New Years Day will find a tradition familiar to that person represented somewhere or anywhere in the house. I'm not sure what the plural of menorah is, but we have a plurality of them. A variety of creches also can be found, along with Kwanza decorations obtained in various places. Winter solstice is also represented, as are a variety of Hindu deities, particularly the more colorful of them. There are Islamic ornaments on the tree, as well as many somewhat profane ornaments depicting, well, profane subject matter. A spectacularly naked and modified miniature Barbie Doll tops the Holiday Tree in a decidedly unangelic fashion. I have a lovely image of Darwin, etched on glass, which hangs from the tree, along with various Darwin fish and other symbols of atheism.

It is a Holiday Tree. Whatever your holiday might be, you will find it ready to be celebrated in our home. You are welcome here, as long as you understand that we are merely acknowledging all those holidays, rather than celebrating them ourselves. If some tradition offends you, it's probably best to look away from the items connected with that tradition, because they're all there and may well be located near an item connected with your tradition. We are atheists and do not discriminate among religious traditions.

With that, I wish everyone in the Religion Group a "Happy Holiday!"