Capitol Christmas Tree Praises Obama
The official 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree that stands 63 feet tall includes no visible ornament signifying the Christian holiday or Jesus Christ. Instead, what can be seen is an ornament praising President Obama.
District visitors can linger around the Capitol and enjoy the Sierra White Fir adorned with lights and colorful ornaments. However, if they walk around to the north side of the tree they will see an ornament not about Christ or Saint Nickolas but rather one that reads “I ♥ President Obama.”
CNSNews.com first reported on the story and asked the office of the Architect of the Capitol if any ornaments on the tree have something pertaining to the Christian holiday. The office replied with a statement saying that it “does not have a policy nor any restrictions concerning the themes for the ornaments” that go on the tree.” The office could not say if this year’s tree had ornaments that directly related to Christmas. Also, the office did not say whether or not any other politician or official was displayed on the tree, other than Obama.
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“There may be ornaments like those you describe near the top of the tree, or they could have been obscured or moved due to wind or weather,” the architect’s office said in a written statement to CNSNews.com.
The Capitol Christmas tree became a Washingtonian tradition in 1964. Since 1968, the tree has been brought from various states all over the country and placed on the Capitol grounds.
According to the federal website, the states that supply the tree are responsible for coming up with the theme of the ornaments and citizens from that state create them.
This year, California had the honors and the tree was delivered to Washington, D.C., from the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County. The theme chosen was “California Shines.”
There was one ornament, however, that displayed the Christian meaning of Christmas. CNSNews declared that the ornament was not “readily visible.” However, the ornament showcased the Bible and Psalm 19. It is constructed from an aluminum pie tin and shows a miner panning for gold with the Bible near him. Reportedly, around the inside of the pie tin are the words, “More precious than Gold,” and “Psalm 19.”
Psalm 19 declares: “The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold.”
