A Christmas tree festival hosted by the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, is facing backlash after it included a tree decorated by the Satanic Temple. The display is set to be up through December 31st and includes 66 trees decorated by various organizations. One other tree facing criticism is a “Gender Diversity Tree,” which included decorations with the blue and pink trans flag and ornaments with the saying “Protect Trans Kids.” The tree from the Satanic Temple was decorated with blood-red lights, what appears to be a snake at the bottom, pentagrams, and at least one ornament with “Hail Santa” written on it, possibly a play on “Hail Satan.” 

The Diocese of Green Bay was quick to condemn the display, with a statemen written by Bishop David Ricken saying, “Displaying a Christmas tree with bright red lights, inverted crosses, pentagrams and other satanic symbolism, with a snake wrapped around the tree where our savior belongs, is not something families and children should be exposed to at any time, but most especially during this Christmas season. The tree is offensive and harms the unity and joy that the Christmas season brings.” Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) was also quick to condemn the tree’s inclusion in the festival. “It’s impossible to overstate how offensive this is to Christians. It would be, in quite a literal sense, the same thing as waving a Hamas flag inside of a synagogue. It’s just absolutely crazy that we would allow this to happen,” he said. He went on to add, “Conservatives are often accused of launching a culture war or focusing or fixating on cultural issues, but here is a perfect example of how that’s not what’s happening.”

The museum responded to the criticism and stated it stood by its decision. “We have six Christian-related groups that have trees up this year, but it’s mostly businesses and nonprofit organizations,” said museum CEO Jacqueline Frank. “We have everything from a tree with hardware on it, a tea tree, we have a Lego tree. It’s a lot of different organizations promoting their business.” Regarding the decision to display the tree by the Satanic Temple, Frank said, “There was no hesitation.” “We’re not a religious organization. We focus on trains,” said Frank. “And honestly, the Christmas tree is used by so many different secular and religious organizations. All we’re doing is putting up decoration in that room.” She warned that rejecting the tree would have set a precedent for rejecting other non-Christian groups, such as Jewish groups. “If we want to be an inclusive organization, we want to make sure that everybody feels comfortable. Who am I to suddenly say … this thing that is your belief system and outside the mainstream is bad? I think there’s a lot to be said of being able to include everybody, to respect everyone and to provide dignity for everybody.” 

A statement from the Satanic Temple of Wisconsin said that the group was, “proud to have our Sol Invictus tree displayed among the other holiday trees at the National Railroad Museum.” It claimed the decorating of trees to have been an originally pagan ritual and that, “We hope the media attention and articles focusing on our tree will inspire the public to seek knowledge and act with benevolence, and compassion. Our tree stands as a symbol of these virtues, as well as a testament to the freedom of religion and expression.” The statement also included the group’s intention to continue participating in future festivals. The Big Sunday Show panel on Fox News discussed the controversy and agreed that the display was within the rights of the First Amendment. “So, do these folks have a right to be there?” asked correspondent Alicia Acuna. “Yes. Is it in the Christmas spirit? No.”