Portland sparks outrage for city’s ‘tree’ lighting ceremony: ‘They can’t even say Christmas tree’

nypost.com ^ | Dec. 1, 2025 | Richard Pollina

[V_TWIN]

As thousands gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the city’s 41st annual tree-lighting on Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads.

The festive occasion was kicked off with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking everyone in the crowd for coming out on Native American Heritage Day.

She introduced two younger members of the tribe, who referred to the celebration only as “the tree lighting,” before handing the microphone to another featured speaker.

Draped in a Palestinian flag, the woman used her stage time to lead the crowd in a “free Palestine” chant.

“They can’t even say Christmas tree in Portland. They call it “the tree,'” one user wrote on X following the ceremony.

While the ceremony appeared to go off without any incident, it did garner some criticism online. “WHY DOES everything have to be so DIVISIVE??!!” another questioned.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: christmas

[V_TWIN]

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I live 2900 miles from that craphole and it's not far enough as far as I'm concerned.

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[Red Badger]

There is a nearby volcano......................

[drwoof]

It all sounds so.... Boorish. Used to be ‘fashionable’, but it just ain’t anymore.

[lowbridge]

Years ago at my local library, on the community bulletin board were flyers from various non profit organizations advertising their upcoming “holiday tree” lighting ceremony. Only one flyer advertised their “christmas tree” lighting ceremony, and that was a Church.

[PGalt]

How long before tree lighting becomes tree burning or forests burning or church burning? Oh wait...

[V_TWIN]

A handful of these free palestine knuckleheads tried to disrupt a city council meeting in my town earlier this year.

Within 60 seconds sheriff’s officers had ‘em outside on the ground and handcuffed.

These idiots CAN be handled......local woke politicians in lib cities just refuse to.

[T.B. Yoits]

Truthfully, it's been a money, merchandising, and marketing tree for nearly a century now.

Christians are long overdue to boycott these ceremonies. That, or they should steer into the skid and host a "tree lighting" monthly. Pick a religion and hijack its holy days.

It has long been a deflection, to avoid putting up a creche of the Nativity in the town square. Celebrate the birth of Christ or celebrate some godless gift day.

[SaveFerris]

[leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point]

The spirit of antichrist Goats 🐐🐐🐐 CANNOT STAND THE NAME of the Lord Jesus Christ. In ANY form. THAT is why they Dodge Him, Suppress ANY mention of Him, Avoid Him, Ridicule Him. They also attack the Bible / Scripture.

We are in an Earthly 🌎🌍🌏 battle with the Godless Reprobate Goats 🐐🐐🐐, the spirit of antichrist and the Dark Principalities and Powers in the Heavenly Realms ✝️✝️🙏🙏🛐🛐

(for the thread)

The Enemy's #1 goal is to SUPPRESS the Gospel of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth as Almighty God's Word and His Chosen Messiah

The Enemy is That Old Serpent 🐍 Called the Devil and Satan

His Goats 🐐🐐🐐 do the spirit of antichrist
works of their REAL FATHER (John 8:44)

[SaveFerris]

Matthew 10:33-35
Amplified Bible

33 But the one who denies and rejects Me before men, that one
I will also deny and reject before My Father Who is in Heaven.

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring Peace on the Earth;
I have not come to bring Peace, but a Sword
[of Division between Belief and UnBelief].

35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010:33-35&version=AMP

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Luke 12:51-53
King James Version

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give Peace on Earth?
I tell you, Nay; but rather Division:

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house Divided,
three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be Divided against the son,
and the son against the father;
the mother against the daughter,
and the daughter against the mother;
the mother in law against her daughter in law,
and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2012%3A51-53&version=KJV

[HartleyMBaldwin]

There is a nearby volcano...

Heck, there's a volcano inside the city, Mt. Tabor in SE Portland. Not quite as impressive as Mt. Hood, though.

[WhiteHatBobby0701]

Woke activism.

[rlmorel]

"...The festive occasion was kicked off with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking everyone in the crowd for coming out on Native American Heritage Day..."

Boy, Elizabeth Warren is going to be pissed she missed another opportunity to celebrate-she shot her bolt last week!

(Heh, just looking for an excuse to post this, the names are great...her son, "Busted Rubber"!)

[chief lee runamok]

Christmas has turned largely into a money grab.

A local box store had Christmas decorations up beginning the first of October.

[V_TWIN]

My Walmarts started stocking Christmas merch in September

[suthener]

From the article:

“Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads.”

If I hear the word “holiday” in one more commercial I’m not sure my TV will make it. I would suggest a boycott, but like many other things, you wouldn’t be able to anything. They pretty much all do it.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

At least they still have a tree lighting ceremony. I would have thought that these Communists would have ended it by now.

[LouAvul]

FR needs a keyword filter where we can automatically ignore anything with the word Portland, or Seattle, or Libertarian, ad infinitum.

[gundog]

Pioneer Colonizer Courthouse Square

[gundog]

[gundog]

Between Mt. Hood, and the Cascadia Subduction Zone, there’s always hope.