Off putting fed holiday celebration or am I being too sensitive?

[Anonymous]

I work for a large federal agency. Every year, we have a holiday party. This year, as part of the celebration, there is a wreath decorating contest, where each team of attorneys is given a wreath to decorate using any theme or materials. As a non-Christian, I find this activity incredibly alienating and insensitive. Am I overreacting?

[Anonymous]

My god yes. It's a wreath. Nothing more.

[Anonymous]

yes

[Anonymous]

don't go if you don't want to.

[Anonymous]

There is no way, 100% chance, that this OP is earnest. I don't believe it for a second.

My guess is that OP is actually somebody who enjoys the wreath contest and is trolling someone who (s)he thinks is opposed to it.

This can't be real.

FYI, I am an atheist Jew and would find the wreath decorating contest banal but totally unobjectionable

[Anonymous]

It's a wreath!!!!! Get over yourself

[Anonymous]

Overreacting and I'm not normally Team Overreacting.

Wreaths aren't just Christmas decorations or even religious items, IMO.

Also, it could be worse, OP. My office holiday party included a team gingerbread house building contest for $500. Teams were picked at random and I got stuck on a team with 4 engineers. "Oh, they're sure to win!" everyone boasted. You'd have thought they were designing a palace for a king with the amount of bickering that went on. Meanwhile, I'm off to the side eating all the decorative toppings and wishing an employee hadn't gotten sh!tfaced 6 years ago and lost all of us our Adult Beverage privileges during the holiday party.

[Anonymous]

eh. I wouldn't really blink at a wreath, although it might be borderline.

FWIW, I just left the DC area and my fed agency office down here leads office events with a Christian prayer. I confess my jaw dropped. And later I had a word with one of the managers who said that's the way they do things. I'm Christian but it's still wildly inappropriate in a federal workplace. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen is what it is. Also just a jerky thing to do to your non-Christian colleagues.

[Anonymous]

I'd go buy blue and silver stuff and decorate it as my Hanukkah wreath. I worked for DC government years ago and the supervisor insisted I put up a Christmas tree. Funny thing I had no idea what to do so she got angry it took me a long time to figure out how to put it together and she never gave me the decorations so I found my own. She did not like them. That's what you get for asking me. Worked for another county and they did a lot of prayers too. It made me uncomfortable.

Wreaths are Christmas associated.

[Anonymous]

I have a wreath on my front door all year with a different wreath for each season/holiday. If you can do any theme, how is this alienating?

[Anonymous]

I think you’re overreacting. Don’t participate if you don’t want to, but it’s fine.

-Muslim

[Anonymous]

I get why it bothers you and I don't think it's the best choice for a large federal agency.

[Anonymous]

I’m jewish and I would not be happy. Wreaths and trees are both associated with Christmas. Many people will say that in America there is a secular Christmas celebration. However I disagree and Christmas is a Christian holiday. I think everyone is entitled to celebrate their holidays the way they want but I also think it is wrong of people to impose traditions on others.

I would probably decline the invitation due to the nature of the Christian themed games at the event. Now, if my Christian friend invited me to her Christmas party and the game was wreath decorating, I’m all in. In the workplace though, it is just not appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m jewish and I would not be happy. Wreaths and trees are both associated with Christmas. Many people will say that in America there is a secular Christmas celebration. However I disagree and Christmas is a Christian holiday. I think everyone is entitled to celebrate their holidays the way they want but I also think it is wrong of people to impose traditions on others.

I would probably decline the invitation due to the nature of the Christian themed games at the event. Now, if my Christian friend invited me to her Christmas party and the game was wreath decorating, I’m all in. In the workplace though, it is just not appropriate.

I'm an atheist and I agree. Plus it sounds boring and tedious. Boring, tedious AND offensive would make it excruciating for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m jewish and I would not be happy. Wreaths and trees are both associated with Christmas. Many people will say that in America there is a secular Christmas celebration. However I disagree and Christmas is a Christian holiday. I think everyone is entitled to celebrate their holidays the way they want but I also think it is wrong of people to impose traditions on others.

I would probably decline the invitation due to the nature of the Christian themed games at the event. Now, if my Christian friend invited me to her Christmas party and the game was wreath decorating, I’m all in. In the workplace though, it is just not appropriate.

But wreaths are non just associated with Christmas.

Cookies are associated with Christmas. If they had a cookie decorating contest, would you be offended? Serious question.