Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Xmas trees in Cohousing

[Judy (BAXTER%EPIHUB]

Kolre?? (Aha - a neighbor) 
just wrote:

<Perhaps it is just that I live in the midwest where the population is 
overwhelmingly homogenous -- white and Christian -- but I have yet to 
encounter a cohousing group that even entertained the question of whether 
or not a Christmas tree would be welcome in the common house or other 
shared spaces.  They just assumed that no one would mind.>

Well, I know of one - Monterey CoHousing (Minneapolis, more or less) has
recently  had much,much,much discussion of this issue.  Our first Christmas, we
had a tree, with discussion first, at which I (the only Jew in the group, which
also includes Buddhists, Quakers, Lutherans, Unitarians, Catholics, and some
with less defined spirituality) said I didn't mind, tho I wouldn't actively put
a lot of time into decorating.  I am a mostly secular Jew, celebrating mostly
Passover, which we all shared.

By this past Christmas we had a new family, one adult is Jewish, the other was
at least raised Catholic, and the Jewish member was uncomfortable with the
tree.  And we have another new family, also Jewish, who see no problem.  There
are a lot of strong feelings, and a lot of concern for everyone, and the
outcome for next year is still being discussed. We DO have a lot of people with
strong associations of celebration and extended family occasions with Xmas
trees, and several families in the "Mansion" coop apartment homes, who have no
space for a tree in their own spaces.  And , as one member, said, we need to be
aware that the majority is not threatened by the symbols of the minority in the
way the minority can be threatened.  I've been facilitating, so I won't venture
to guess at exactly how we will meet the interests.  I'll tell you, having been
a divorce mediator in a past incarnation, I found working with 20 people hard
in new ways.

Judy

Judy Baxter, Monterey Cohousing Community, (MoCoCo)
Twin Cities Area, Minneapolis/St.Paul Minnesota
e-mail: baxter [at] epivax.epi.umn.edu
other mail:     2925 Monterey Ave So,  St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Twin Cities CoHousing Network Voice Mail  612-930-7580
 Voice Mail for Monterey Cohousing - 612-930-7554