On Sundays, DCist publishes opinion pieces about life in D.C. The opinions below belong entirely to the author, who, in this case, is reader Timothy Ebner. To add your opinion to the fray, please email me.

Leave it to our Capitol City to make politics out of the holiday season. Apparently political correctness now goes as far as Christmas trees or should I say Holiday trees? This year House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) wrote the architect of the Capitol urging that the “Capitol Holiday Tree” return back to the “Capitol Christmas Tree.” Other naming rights for trees speak of patriotism and country rather than religious affiliations. The White House Christmas Tree after all is the Nation’s tree even though some might recognize Rockefeller’s tree as the definitive evergreen. Regardless of any of these naming controversies, haven’t we gone over the deep end as far as trees are concerned? These names mean very little to me. After all, I think the only difference between a “Holiday,” “Christmas,” or “National” tree probably would be the size of the trunk, the types of needles, or the strands of lights. When debates like this arise over the holidays, I find real truth about the season from my good friend Linus in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” He reveals a deeper meaning of the season by saying, “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.” Let’s leave the bickering for the Christmas dinner table when the relatives visit. I think all of us can share in the same spirit that this season has to offer.