Do Christmas trees belong in the workplace? Our correspondent reads your comments -- hundreds of them! -- and votes to err on the side of democracy



Reuters



To tree or not to tree in the workplace?

That was the question in this first edition of The Atlantic's new collaborative feature, "Working it Out." And in the past few days, more than 1,000 of you weighed in, 80 percent opining, "Up with Trees!" My editor, Derek Thompson, posted the most trenchant and amusing of your comments in two little collections: here and here.

And now here's my two cents.

The utilitarian in me believes that greater good accrues from having a (ahem) Holiday Tree in the workplace. While a small percentage of a workplace's employees may take minor offense, most workers are Christian and aren't likely to mind. It's also clear, from my experience and the comments, that most non-Christians appreciate the tree for its aesthetics. It's cheery. It looks and smells nice. It's a secular reminder of peace and good will, so easily forgotten in a cutthroat work environment. It's no more Christian than Rudolph, egg nog, and credit cards.

Also leaning me to tree, I worry about accommodating to such minor offenses as the tree's presence. If we legitimate taking offense at such piffling discourtesies, how can we ever "just get along"? Perhaps it's time to pot down our offensiveness meter's amplitude. Indeed, many workplaces become dysfunctional because of outrage and retaliation against flyspeck and even imagined slights.

