ANALYSIS
Gavin Newsom avoids the word ‘Christmas’ and wishes Californians ‘Happy Holidays’ during tree lighting
The California governor's official release to announce the event on X sparked immediate and harsh criticism by omitting any mention of the religious celebration. "It's called Christmas when we remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," wrote one user.
Gavin Newsom-File Image.
The Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, hosted the California tree lighting. The ceremony included the participation of a pair of 5-year-old twins from Altadena, Calif., who had the honor of lighting the towering tree adorned with thousands of lights and ornaments.
Newsom's official post announcing the event on X sparked immediate and harsh criticism by omitting any mention of Christmas, opting for a generic "Happy Holidays" greeting and introducing the event as the "94th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony."
Although Newsom can be heard in the video shared on X wishing "Merry Christmas" to the crowd present at the event, X users were quick to criticize him for not writing it in the post.
"It's called Christmas when we remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," wrote one user. "That's a 'Christmas Tree' to you, pal," responded another person to the governor's post.
Another user reacted by writing: "I like you Gavin, but call it Christmas. We call other religious festivals by their name Diwali etc. I'm an atheist and not offended by religious terminology or doctrine."
Newsom does not hesitate to name other festivals
Just as the X user noted, in October, Newsom wished "Happy Diwali" to all Californians on the occasion of the commemoration of this Hindu festival, celebrated for five days each fall.
"Happy Diwali, California! Today, we celebrate the Festival of Lights — the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance," the governor stated in his tweet.
Likewise, in March, Newsom also did not hesitate to write "Eid Mubarak," a traditional greeting in Arabic, to wish California "peace, gratitude, and shared blessings" during the end of Ramadan.
"Eid Mubarak, California," Newsom wrote.
"As families and communities come together to mark the end of Ramadan, may this day be filled with peace, gratitude, and shared blessings," he added.
Trump sends message stressing the true meaning of Christmas
Donald Trump moved away from the woke—or anti-Christian—agenda prevailing among Western democracies to put at the center what these dates really mean: the coming into the world of Jesus, the son of God.
"During this holy season, Christians everywhere rejoice at the miracle in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, when the son of God, our lord and savior Jesus Christ, came down from heaven to be with us. Full of grace and truth, he brought the gift of God's love into the world and the promise of salvation for every person and every nation," said the president.
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