Somebody asked, and this was my answer:
Personally I don't see much of a 2nd commandment connection. That commandment forbids carving images/statues/idols to bow down to, as they represent (or are claimed to BE) some other god. Now, this can happen functionally with icons in Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox settings, but I'm doubting there is a danger of us inadvertently worshiping or praying to our Christmas trees ("O Christmas Tree" song, excluded - watch out for that one!).
This relates more to general cultural practice, I'd say. Can we continue a religiously ambiguous practice like Christmas trees, as a way of celebrating Christ's Incaration? I would say we can. Does the tree have pagan roots? Probably. Can we redeem the practice? Certainly. We don't have a tree this year, as we'll be gone over Christmas, but we put up our outdoor lights as a physical expression of Isaiah 9:1-2; 60:1-3; and Matt 4:15-16. The idea is to tangibly convey joy and celebration over the Light coming to our dark world. If there is a better way to do that than the trees, greenery and lights, then go for it. But history has a way of providing the means of conveying joy in practices handed down to us. There is no inherent need to fight that, unless superstition or false teaching has crept in.
Do we need to reject those means of celebration (holly, ivy, trees, etc.) in order to stay pure from the world's defilement? Not necessarily. Just don't sing "O Christmas Tree" unless you can do so giving all glory to God. And watch out for overly sentimental interpretations of our Lord's Nativity that deny the conflict into which He was born.
The world does creep in, but we need to filter, not pull the plug on the whole computer...
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