I suspect we're all aware that there were legal challenges years ago as to the appropriateness of holiday, especially Christmas, decorations and symbols in places that were considered public in nature.
That would include hospitals, especially those which are government affiliated in some way.
It was usually a matter of the traditional separation of church and state, whether the display of decorations and symbols supportive of a particular religion in such places constituted violation of that separation.
Legal challenges on this basis, a number of them reaching all the way to the Supreme Court, produced a body of decisions, many of which are summarized in the following HR holiday decorations policy, selected as typical, and linked below.
I include it because it is short, and gets to the legal heart of the matter for many of the questions on this topic.
Many of us are probably already familiar with its content, but for the record:
https://adminfinance.umw.edu/hr/employee-relations/respectful-workplace-policies/holiday-decorations-and-celebrations-guidelines-for-a-respectful-and-inclusive-workplace/Highlights from it:
"In a public work space, only secular holiday decorations may be displayed. Secular holiday decorations include things like tinsel or garland, snowmen, candy canes, reindeer, etc. Religious symbols or holiday decorations with religious content may not be displayed."
"In a private work space, an employee may display holiday decorations with religious content or secular decorations ... A workspace that is assigned exclusively to one employee, such as a cubicle, desk or office that may be seen occasionally by coworkers but not by clients, customers, or the general public."
"In a shared work space, only secular holiday decorations may be displayed. Holiday decorations with religious content cannot be displayed."So what's typical these days for hospital holiday decorations? Well, whatever typical is, here's one place that really goes all out on decorating, floor by floor in their place. (Stop video when you've seen enough!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tovce3fdr1k But getting back to the main issue, obviously the question of just what "secular" means arises, and that meaning has figured prominently in some of those legal decisions. Some say it still hasn't been really adequately defined.
But maybe a general guideline such as "decorate but don't proselytize" might sum up how to proceed when putting up the seasonal decorations, and that with such an approach, maybe the legal minds are okay with that.
But that doesn't stop some hospital staff from still being very creative when it comes to holiday-themed decorations.
So even in a public place such as a hospital, it would seem that a season's greeting in the form of pretty decorations is still possible, but it will have to be done within certain guidelines.