Portland sparks outrage for city’s ‘tree’ lighting ceremony: ‘They can’t even say Christmas tree’

Portland has sparked outrage after stripping its Christmas tree of its name, referring to it only as “the tree” during its lighting ceremony.

As thousands gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the city’s 41st annual tree-lighting on Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads.

The festive occasion was kicked off with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking everyone in the crowd for coming out on Native American Heritage Day. ---More...

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