In Hamburg, a plant shop owner, Florian Schröder, is appealing a €3,000 fine for planting a Christmas tree outside a daycare center that refused to celebrate the holiday.
The fine stems from an incident in December 2023 when Schröder, wanting to spread holiday cheer, set up a decorated tree in front of the Mobi daycare center in Hamburg-Lokstedt. However, the daycare, part of the Finkenau Kindergarten Foundation, had already chosen not to display a Christmas tree. They cited religious freedom and the desire to respect the beliefs of all children, explaining that they didn’t want to exclude any child based on their faith.
In response, the daycare filed a complaint, and the court found Schröder guilty of trespassing for placing the tree without permission. The court ruled that Schröder had knowingly entered the property to install the tree despite the daycare’s clear opposition. As a result, he was fined €3,000 and ordered to remove the tree.
However, Schröder isn’t backing down. “We wanted to make children happy at Christmas time — and that’s why we’re back in court,” he told Bild. “For us, a Christmas tree and shining children’s eyes are not a crime, but a sign of hope.” He argued that a daycare should embrace the spirit of Christmas rather than reject it.
This legal battle has sparked wider debates about the preservation of cultural traditions in the face of growing demands for inclusivity. Just across the border in Austria, similar controversies have unfolded. Last year, a preschool in Plainfeld, Salzburg, uninvited Santa Claus from his scheduled visit, citing concerns over cultural differences and children’s fear of the character. Meanwhile, another Austrian kindergarten replaced the St. Martin’s Day celebration with a secular “Moon and Star Festival” to avoid offending the large migrant population, replacing the traditional lantern parade with a “moon bear” character.
This ongoing trend of replacing traditional celebrations with more inclusive alternatives raises questions about the future of cultural practices in Europe, especially during the Christmas season. For some, a Christmas tree is a harmless symbol of joy and hope, while for others, it’s seen as an imposition on diversity. The clash continues to unfold, with people like Schröder standing firm on the belief that traditions like Christmas should be celebrated, not erased.
