CM Tree Lighting Nov. 19th

**Pam** · November-19-10, 01:36 PM

It's that time again.

http://www.campusmartiuspark.org/

**kryptonite** · November-19-10, 02:08 PM

I have tentative plans to go to that tonight. last year I went with a friend and we had a great time. I read that the Forever Plaid Christmas show will perform and some other performers also. It was beautiful down there last year.

A brewski at Foran's may also be on the agenda.

**Carey** · November-19-10, 02:30 PM

I was just in the Holiday Boutique on Monroe, a block or so from CM. Very nice array of goodies.

**Downtown Dave** · November-19-10, 03:29 PM

Stop by Compuware building also and inhale the cinnamon - there's a stand inside selling roasted almonds and fudge. I can tell you the cinnamon almonds are great!

**Gistok** · November-19-10, 03:31 PM

LOL..... I notice that it say "CAMPUS MARTIUS TREE LIGHTING"....
Nowhere is the word "CHRISTMAS" in the announcement.... I can see at least 1 DetroitYES'er not being real happy....

**justanotherboy** · November-19-10, 03:34 PM

Why do we have to call it a Christmas Tree to appease Christians?

**Gistok** · November-19-10, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by justanotherboy

Why do we have to call it a Christmas Tree to appease Christians?

Go see the thread on "Another Reason To Shop Downtown For The Holidays" for your answer....

**Gsgeorge** · November-19-10, 05:46 PM

Downtown is absolutely bustling right now! It is amazing! There are families out, wakling the streets, carrying holiday shopping bags. Temporary shops along Woodward & Monroe are open for business and busy with patrons. It's an amazing sight to see! Echoes of the days long-gone when downtown was the only place to do your Christmas shopping. Detroit feels like a real big city tonight. Spontaneous, diverse, the right mix of visitors, residents, workers, bumping into each other on the street. A real urban environment. Different from when downtown is busy because of a sports event... this is a real mix of people, some here for shopping, some to run some last minute errands, some leaving work, others walking to their downtown residence with some carry-out. Great stuff. Detroit is alive and well!

lilpup · November-19-10, 06:41 PM

Lighting Ceremony livestreamed by Ch. 4 for those not downtown
starting at 6:45

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/25842878/index.html

**Rocko** · November-19-10, 11:59 PM

A attended this evening with the little lady and a good friend of mine. We made it a Detroit evening, stopping first for dinner at MexicanTown, seeing the Tree Lighting and supporting the Salvation Army at the huge red kettle, then, after they lit the tree, we walked down Michigan Avenue to the Book Cadillac to take a look around, stop in the Detroit gift shop. Amazing that I'm going into historic preservation and hadn't been in there yet. We also bumped into a few friends, out of the thousands in Campus Martius. All and all, wonderful energy downtown tonight, the city looked great and the area was kept really clean.

**mauser** · November-20-10, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by justanotherboy

Why do we have to call it a Christmas Tree to appease Christians?

Decorated trees are from Yule, and pre-date the advent Christmas, so no need.

**marcwigle** · November-20-10, 03:18 AM

Originally Posted by justanotherboy

Why do we have to call it a Christmas Tree to appease Christians?

LOL Another brilliant question... maybe, just maybe, because it's a Christmas Tree... not a "holdiay" tree. Let's change history to appease the non Christians.

**stasu1213** · November-20-10, 04:30 AM

It was nice this year. The city was trying to be politically correct by not mentioning the word Christmas. I think that Christmas should had been mentioned. The birth of Christ was the original meaning of christmas. Tim Horton's should had kept their doors open later last night also. I had tried convencing the owner to open late during these events but he, not have the business sense, didn't think it was necessary.

**a100driver** · November-20-10, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by justanotherboy

Why do we have to call it a Christmas Tree to appease Christians?

Why do we have to eliminate the word Christmas to appease those that aren't?
Christmas IS about the birth of Christ.

**gnome** · November-20-10, 07:26 AM

The Romans during the feast of Saturnallia would bring evergreens into the home as the celebration of light over darkness. The early church co-opted many pagan traditions, including patron saints, and made them part of the Christian church.

The reason for this is many, but the end result is that few people know or care about the feast of Saturn, nor its traditions of gift giving, miseltoe, or any number of other traditions. They are now Christian and to deny that reality is to deny where the origins came from.

It is a freaking Christmas treee. It represents the eternal love we should have for one another, just as Christ's love is eternal. If other religous traditions want to garner a bit of the glow, it is a big tent; but it is Christmas tent.

**detmsp** · November-20-10, 12:01 PM

wow, guys this isn't so hard to figure out. we are supposed to have separation between church and state in this country. that means the government probably shouldn't be spending tax payer money on religious events/displays/etc.

the fact that this gets people all worked up boggles my mind. you're not some oppressed minority. when the city erects a massive menorah and calls it a hanukkah menorah, hosts an indian celebration of lights and calls it a diwali festival, etc, etc, then maybe you'll have a point.

DetroitPole · November-20-10, 01:16 PM

I don't really get what is at all "Christian" about a Christmas tree, but whatever.

I get a Christmas tree every year for my home because I am a Christian. However a tree in a public square in a nation that has separation of church and state and an incalculable number of faiths, none of which are the state religion, rightfully has a Holiday Tree. My Jewish friend was there last night and her holidays are coming up too. Maybe she should have been excluded, or have instead been welcomed to join state-supported Christianity in a public square, as some here would suggest.

You know what really pisses me off [[hint: it isn't a Holiday Tree)? All you so-called Christians pull this pointless nomenclature bullshit every year at this time of year, which is supposed to commemorate the Nativity of the Prince of Peace, when we've got two mindless wars going on with hundreds of thousands of people getting slaughtered and all you care about is the word Christmas. Not to mention the Catholic Chaldeans in Iraq are getting massacred and it is illegal to convert to Christianity in Afghanistan. These are real reasons to get outraged. Get a life and go do something really Christian instead of waffling about nothing.

**Magnatomicflux** · November-20-10, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Tim Horton's should had kept their doors open later last night also..

....Your Tim Horton's close at night? Is it just that there's no foot / car traffic at all in the area after a certain time?

**BrushStart** · November-20-10, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Magnatomicflux

....Your Tim Horton's close at night? Is it just that there's no foot / car traffic at all in the area after a certain time?

What Tim Horton's are we talking about? The one in Millender Center? I didn't know there was another one in downtown...?

**Magnatomicflux** · November-20-10, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

What Tim Horton's are we talking about? The one in Millender Center? I didn't know there was another one in downtown...?

You got me. Being in Canada, it almost goes against nature to lock the doors on a Tim's, so it's just a weird sentence to read for me lol
Now, if it's inside a building that closes, that's understandable.

**stasu1213** · November-20-10, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

What Tim Horton's are we talking about? The one in Millender Center? I didn't know there was another one in downtown...?

There is one in the Compuware building. It had opened back in May. There were many missed oppertunities where the owner could had made a killing in profits.One was staying open later last night for the Christmas tree lighting. Another was the marathon back in October. I won't be suprise if Tim Hortons wouldn't open for Thanksgiving. I had spoken to him this past May when he had just opened the Tim Hortons. At that time he wasn't open on Saturdays and had closed at 5pm. He had said that he has no reasons to open on Saturdays or late in the evenings. I had informed him of the events that occurs at Campus Martius during the summer as well as the winter months. He had started opening on Saturdays but failed to stay open when events such as last night's tree lightning had taken place. One of his employees had suggested to him to open later during special events. She would had volunteered to work that night or day. He had refused. So much for business sense.

**mittengal** · November-21-10, 07:27 PM

I'm so happy to read about the downtown treelighting. One of my happiest childhood memories is going downtown with the family for Christmas shopping & to see Santa at Hudson's. Sadly no more Hudson's, but glad to see good things happening downtown. Some good info about the preChristian origins of our holiday customs. I find this subject fascinating. A good book I read is When Santa Was A Shaman--can't remember the author--on this subject. I have always used "holiday season" to include Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years. Why not also
Hanukkah, Kawanza, Yule, & the basis of it all, the Winter Solstice.