Pappas displays Christmas trees from around the world

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office is decorated with more than 90 Christmas trees and holiday displays for 15th year. “Christmas Trees from Around the World” highlights different traditions for the holiday season representing every ethnic and national group

More than 90 Christmas trees and religious displays that show different ways of celebrating the holidays are on display in the downtown Chicago office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

This is the 15th year of “Christmas Trees from Around the World,” the display of three-foot-high trees which are decorated by members of ethnic and religious communities to represent their heritage. Also on display on counters in the Treasurer’s Office are a Christian Nativity scene, an African American Kwanzaa Kinara, a Hindu Prayer Thali, a Jewish Menorah and a Muslim Ramadan Mubarak.

“Diversity is one of the Chicago area’s great strengths. It is very powerful when people come together,” Pappas said. “We see that unity in the way different ethnic groups decorate trees for the same vital holiday.”

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has hosted a display of Christmas Trees from around the world each year since 2003. Photo courtesy of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas

The trees are adorned not only with ornaments, tinsel and lights, but also animals, flowers, fruit, balls, candles, plates, boats, stars, flags, dolls and other items. The display will be up from Nov. 26, 2018, until Jan. 2, 2019, in Room 112 of the Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark St., Chicago.

The countries and traditions represented by the trees include:

African American, Albania, Armenia, Assyrian, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Barbie Doll, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cajun-New Orleans, Canada, Canada-Quebec, Carpatho-Rusyn, China, Colombia, Cornwall, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Esperanto, Ethiopia, Finland, France.

Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Laos, Lebanon, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Native American, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Venezuela and Wales.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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