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

[areinert (areinert]

On Mon, 13 Feb 1995, kolre001 [at] maroon.tc.umn.edu wrote:

> Rebecca's points about Xmas trees in cohousing are excellent.
> 
> 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.

Did you mention it?  And what did they say?  Beware castigating sins of 
unknowing omission.

> 
> As a nonmaterialist  by temperament and a person of Jewish and AmerInd 
> ancestry by birth, I have found this profoundly disconcerting.  If there's 
> a Christmas tree in the living room, I know for sure that *I* am not home.  

Having a Christmas tree in my living room (my tradition) does not mean I 
disrespect you and your traditions.  Have a cookie.

> And the very blase nature of the assumption makes me wonder how truly 
> welcoming the community is to diversity: I can't imagine a Jewish member of 
> any of these communities just nailing a mezuzah to the front doorway of the 
> common house without asking; 

Nailing the tree to floor wouldn't go over too well either.  But hanging a
mezuzah, and inviting us to share your tradition, is another matter. 

> or a Native sitting down to light the sacred 
> pipe in the living room without asking (in fact, that sounds like an 
> evictable offense to me).

No.  We'd just ask that you not smoke ad hoc, indoors, in the common house.

> I think we have quite a way to go in our acceptance of and respect for our 
> diversity.

Respecting one doesn't mean precluding another. 

Arne Reinert