Dear Editor,

Christmas is not over for many of us.

I was saddened and somewhat offended to read on the front page of the Dec. 28, 2017 paper. The headline 鈥淕etting rid of a tree鈥� and further reading 鈥淲ith Christmas now over.鈥�

Perhaps your readers would appreciate understanding the history of the season of Christmas as still currently celebrated by the great many of Catholic Christians residing in 91原创. It is preceded by the season of Advent (a season of preparation for Christmas) which begins on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day (this year that was Dec. 3) to Dec. 24. Dec. 25 is the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the greatest Christian holy day after Easter.

鈥淐hrist Mass鈥� (Christmas) is the Eucharistic feast celebrating the birth of Christ, the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who came to suffer and die on a cross to save us from our sins.

The Christmas season continues until the feast of Jesus鈥� baptism, that being Jan. 8, 2018. The article continues on page 13 with 鈥淐hipping for charity鈥� and the various organizations that offer tree chipping services. While I appreciate the services offered, and I understand that it is offered in goodwill, all services are offered between Dec. 30 and Jan. 7, during the time we are still celebrating the season of Christmas, which involves keeping all our decorations up during the Christmas season.

Since Christmas is, at its root a Christian celebration, I thought perhaps it appropriate to share this understanding from the people who are celebrating Christmas from this religious and historical perspective. I have hope that the 鈥渋nclusivity鈥� that our society promotes includes Christians.

Jacqueline McLean, 91原创