ATTACKING THE WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY CARDS…. I guess it was only a matter of time. Fox News had this report yesterday:
A Republican lawmaker with a mission to save Christmas is aiming his latest salvo at President and first lady Obama, who’ve followed in a recent tradition to eliminate the mention of Christmas in the White House holiday cards.
The card selected by the Obamas announces: “Season’s Greetings.” Inside, it reads: “May your family have a joyous holiday season and a new year blessed with hope and happiness.”
But Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., said abandoning Christmas at Christmas is just plain wrong.
Brown is, of course, the lead sponsor of the pro-Christmas House resolution we talked about earlier this week (which is, by the way, up to 58 co-sponsors, and now includes some of the House’s nuttiest members).
Brown told Fox News, “I believe that sending a Christmas card without referencing a holiday and its purpose limits the Christmas celebration in favor of a more ‘politically correct’ holiday.”
I wish I knew what “limits the Christmas celebration” means. If Henry Brown honors the holiday, and enjoys it with his family, does he really feel “limited” if he receives a greeting card that celebrates the “holiday season”? And if so, doesn’t it suggest Brown’s appreciation for the holiday is a little too fragile?
For what it’s worth, David Greenberg wrote a piece three years ago, noting that previous presidents have sent out White House cards with “Season’s Greetings,” including Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and even George W. Bush. All, Greenberg noted, “took care … not to alienate non-Christian recipients of holiday mail.”
That probably won’t matter to Obama’s detractors, but it’s a historical precedent to keep in mind.
