To the Editor,
Re: Etymology of ‘holiday’ has two meanings, Letters, Jan. 8.
Greg Demmons has completely and purposefully missed the point I was making.
He said “Statutory holidays are allotted based on the time of year which it is most profitable for a company to take rest days, and the Christmas season is one of them.”
Not true. Christmas Day is given off because it is Christmas Day and if you say any different you are mistaken.
I’d wager that people who don’t believe in Jesus still accept payment whether they work these days or not.
Since we get paid for these days anyway, why not be true to your beliefs, or lack of them, and go into work on them? This would mean that you are willing stand up for what you believe in rather than standing there passively with your hand out, willing to accept the benefits, without the commitment.
As for the Christmas tree, it has been part of Christmas for hundreds of years and yes, I put one up as part of the celebration.
I too am aware of what some of the past pagan connotations of evergreens may have been, but I choose them for what they mean to me today.
Lee Masciarelli
Nanaimo