In Durham, New Hampshire, the town council cancelled the annual tree lighting ceremony and Christmas street decorations after a citizen complained that the decorations were offensive.
Every year in Durham, New Hampshire a celebration called the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony welcomed in the Christmas season. But not this year.
The celebration has been renamed the Frost Fest and many of the trappings of Christmas are being replaced to remove religious overtones.
The changes include — Santa will be at the event but he will not arrive in a town firetruck as he has in the past.
And wreaths that traditionally adorned lamp posts on Main Street will stay in storage.
Town Councilor Sally Tobias says the changes came about after some controversy last holiday season. The controversy was a citizen who had a problem with the Christmas tree.
After holding a public meeting, the town formed a working committee and made changes to the event in spite of complaints from others who wanted the city to celebrate Christmas, including Rabbi Berel Slavaticki of the University of New Hampshire and Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center who felt the changes were a move in the wrong direction.
He said, “To stop cultures and faiths from practicing publicly would be very un-American. I think that’s the beauty of our country.”
Durham is home to the University of New Hampshire and many of those opposed to the newly named “Frost Fest”, claim university students are driving the change.