Atheist Democrat quits over “Christmas Tree”

Atheist New Jersey Councilwoman Charlene Storey, stormed out of the Roselle Park council meeting after legislators voted 4-2 decided to call the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, a “Christmas Tree Lighting”. She stormed out of the meeting and tendered her resignation: “I cannot in good conscience continue to be part of a council that is exclusionary or to work with a Mayor who i such!”

She believes that using “Christmas” in association with the lighting ceremony excludes non-Christians.

On his part, Rosselle Park Mayor Carl Hokanson is the man who suggested the label of Christmas tree to the town’s green tree with red balls on its branches and white lights strung around it. “I can’t believe that people are going this crazy over this,” he said. “There are more important things going on in this world. A Christmas tree is a Christmas tree. The Easter Bunny is the Easter Bunny and not the Holiday Bunny.”

After meeting with the mayor privately she decided to retract her resignation.

The lighting ceremony is to take place on December 11.