Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Holiday decorations and Political Expression

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On May 20, 2015, at 2:05 PM, Martha Scotford <martha.scotford [at] gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> We are beginning discussions about holiday decorations and political 
> expression in our common spaces. I would be interested in any community 
> policies related to this and/or reports on your discussions.

We have decorations for any holiday people want to celebrate. Usually 
Christmas, Sukkot, Chanukah, an egg roll on Easter, an Indian (as in India) 
festival of lights holiday (I’ve forgotten the name), and Seders.

If a holiday isn’t celebrated, it is because there is no one who celebrates 
that holiday who wants to organize it. Decorations are donated.

The only problem we had was in the first few years when it was not understood 
that the Christmas tree stays up past Christmas Day. A Jewish household planned 
a family gathering on the day after Christmas that included relatives who were 
traditional and would be horrified. We compromised by including only photos and 
lights. No angels, no creche, etc.

We still have a secular tree though some small wooden and straw angels have 
crept in. We put up the tree on a Friday at least a week before Christmas and 
it is taken down on New Years Day. That was a compromise between the Catholic 
tradition which puts the tree up on the fourth Sunday before Christmas day and 
the Episcopalians who put it up on Christmas Eve and leave it up until Epiphany 
in January.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org