White House Holiday Cards - No Christmas Trees Please

What’s the big deal with the 2011 White House holiday card as far as White House holiday cards go? My questions come to mind because there was an individual who questioned this year’s White House holiday design. The media looking for news made it a lead story. December must be a slow month for real news stories.

I was very careful to use the word holiday and not Christmas. There are Islamic, Buddhism, Jewish, Wicca/Pagan, Zoroastrian as well as different denominations of Christians who celebrate holidays in December. They all vote. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Danbury Baptist contained the phrase, “wall of separation of church and state.” The letter has been quoted in several legal opinions including the case before The Supreme Court in 1878 – Reynolds v. United States, and again in the decisions made in McCollum v. Board of Education, 1947 and 1948 case. Prior to the Danbury Letter, Jefferson authored The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786. The second section in the act states that no person can be compelled to attend any church or support it with his taxes. James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments 1785 was, and remains, a powerful argument against state supported religion. Thomas Jefferson went so far in his belief in separation of church and state that he had “The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom” included on his grave stone.

Let’s take President Dwight D. Eisenhower for example, the 1953 formal holiday card image was the presidential seal and Season’s Greeting. As a matter of fact, 14 card designs were the presidential seal. A 1957 informal holiday card was an image of a house, not even the White House. Eisenhower’s 1961 informal card was an image of a gate. I guess family and friends had a sentimental attachment to the gate. The White House holiday greeting card unequivocally did not emphasize Christmas. Since it was Eisenhower’s last Christmas in the White House, perhaps he was feeling kicked out!

The Eisenhauer family traveled from Germany to Switzerland in the 17th century due to religious persecution, and about hundred years later arrived in the United States. Eisenhauer was misspelled in official documents and no one bothered to correct the mistake, so they became Eisenhower. The family’s religion was River Brethren, an Anabaptist sect, and later Jehovah's Witnesses. As President Eisenhower, he attended National Presbyterian Church.

There must be something about first term presidents. They seem to want that genetic, Presidential Seal on the formal “holiday” card. An individual gave an interview to Fox News and was quoted as stating she thought it “odd" that the card did not emphasizes the traditions like "family, faith and freedom." Well she could have described President John F. Kennedy’s holiday card. His 1961 card did not exhibit family, being Catholic or freedom – except he was free to be president.

In her book, “Season’s Greetings from the White House,” Mary Evans Seeley stated that President Richard Nixon initiated the use of the holiday card as a political reward. His card list had more than 40,000+ people. Official cards are mailed using tax dollars. That’s a lot of stamps. Perhaps the woman questioning this year's holiday card, can find “American foundational values illustrated and displayed on Christmas cards and on a Christmas tree" with Nixon’s cards. That's "odd" two guys fishing! Neither one of these cards has snow, Christmas tree or anything near looking like Christmas.

While the Bush dogs were not featured on any holiday cards I found, they were featured. Men with cameras were pictured videotaping the dogs for the holiday. One guy has on a suit like Secret Service. Cameras captured the dogs every move. Grown men running after dogs. Barney follows behind Spot as they take a look at the ornaments on the White House Christmas Tree. The dogs were the featured stars in a video of a White House tour. Actually Barney gave the tour!

Can public figures complain about something really important?