Because neither has any damns to give…

They call it Cuetlaxochitl.
They used to call it that way for a very long time.
And it was they who had associated it with the Winter solstice. With the Winter solstice, not the ‘Aztec’ solstice…

We, or rather I, don’t know how they used to call the mistletoe. All I know is they used to associate it with their ‘spells’. Performed, again, during the Winter solstice.

At some point, we – or rather after the Christians got in contact them, the mistletoe first and poinsettia later – have associated both with our manner of celebrating the Winter solstice.

In fact, we have appropriated both the celebration itself and the plants associated with it!

I’m not going to discuss whether this was a good or a bad thing.
It had just happened. And we have to live with the consequences of all those things having had happened in the past.

All I’m going to discuss in this post is their association with Christmas.
With what the Christians consider to be ‘Christmas’ and celebrate it as such.

But is there anything to be discussed about the matter?!?

They have associated each of these plants to their celebrations.
We have associated both to one of ours.
What is to be discussed here?!?

Do we feel bad for what we – our ancestors, actually – have done to them?
And want to atone for what had happened? And for the consequences of what had happened? Which consequences continue to unfold to this day…

We want to make amends – and to get rid of our guilt – by giving them back their plants?!?
Really?

How will any of this benefit them?!?
‘Cause this is about them, not us… right?

How about we stop buying the drugs coming from there?
Making it possible for them to shake off the drug lords which make their lives miserable?

How about we stop patronizing them?
How about we start respecting them for being our ‘brethren’? As in equally-fledged human beings?
Instead of we acting as if they were immature children. Liable to feel hurt that we have borrowed their ‘toys’…. For the sole reason that we think that giving them back their ‘sacred’ plants will cleanse our consciences….