A Christmas tree after all

A large Christmas tree is now adorning the central entrance of the Haagse Hogeschool. After last week’s controversial decision to not put up a Christmas tree, students decided to buy a tree themselves. The reason for not having a Christmas tree this year had to do with the fact that the school wanted to protect its multicultural image.

A spokesperson for the college states, “The tree can stay, we welcome Christmas trees. As a matter of fact, in the immediate area of the college as many as eighty Christmas trees have been planted over the years”.

According to another spokesperson there was never an all out ban against Christmas trees. “We just wanted to do something different then the same old Christmas tree, thus we created the “light” theme. Coupling this decision with protecting the different cultures and the different ways the season is celebrated by our student population caused a controversy that we absolutely didn’t foresee nor intend to create”. In response to the question whether the students can expect a Christmas tree again next year, the spokesperson responded, “Yes, even though it will depend on whether we can find a nice tree”.