Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Christmas In September


When I was in DC this past September, I was excited to find the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in back of the White House. I was disappointed to find that it hadn't been decorated yet. But I suppose I would have been more disappointed to find that it had been decorated already, since this was September. (It's sort of a Catch-22...) In fact, if you look close at the picture above, taken from the top of the Washington Monument in the rain, you can see the flag atop the White House is at half mast. That's because it was 9-11. That's the National Christmas Tree in the little ring in the foreground. The plaque below is behind the tree in the shot above, so you can't see it, but trust me, it's there. If it weren't there, how could I have taken the picture below?

7 comments:

  1. Something from a friend's blog:

    Obamas Wanted "Non-Religious Christmas"

    Last week the New York Times reported that the Obama Family wanted a "non-religious Christmas" in the White House.

    Desiree Rogers, the Obamas' recently embattled social secretary, was quoted as telling former White House social secretaries earlier this year that the Obamas did not intend to put the traditional Nativity scene in the East Room.

    The Times reporter said this was "hardly a surprising idea for an administration making a special effort to reach out to other faiths."

    Well, it's surprising if inclusiveness means banning the Christian symbols that signify what truly makes Christmas Christmas. Why does inclusiveness so often leave out Christians?

    It's also rather surprising behavior for an ostensibly Christian family.

    The White House confirmed discussions had taken place regarding not displaying the creche.

    This information fits in a curious pattern such as the President insisting that a symbol for the name of Jesus be covered up when he was a guest at Georgetown University.

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  2. Wow. Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

    Obama's modus operandi is pleasing some of the people some of the time--the smaller the group, the better. You know, blue dog Dems, one-person Republican Senate holdouts, Rick Warren, and now (according to your friend) Nativity-scene-object-to-ers.

    Meanwhile, most of the public wants health care reform, but they're too large a group to rate. If proponents of health care reform and DODT repeal were only a small group, Obama would have been on it already.

    WV is doppock, and all I can think of is "dropkick." I've been watching too much violence on TV....

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  3. mel: you do realize christians created the dec 25th holiday strictly to compete with the pagans for attendance numbers? try a few searches, look it up, check your facts.

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  4. No, no, NO! We are not going to have this argument on my blog. You guys can take it elsewhere.

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  5. I was agreeing with Mel that Obama's plan was silly, if in fact his social secretary was reporting things accurately to the NYT. Then Anon. chimed in with the non sequitur about C.'s pagan roots.

    I'm not here for heated debate, and I doubt Mel is, either. And the topic is Christmas. (-:

    Apologies, though, if I crossed a line.

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  6. it wasn't a non sequitur. it was clarification that christmas isn't as christian as one might think. no debate.

    no worries, I'm outta here for the season.

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  7. Sorry, Ernie. You are a good friend and the last thing in my mind was to start any controversy on your blog.

    Please accept my sincere apologies and feel free to delete my post which was more in the nature of a report than a comment.

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