Obama and the White House Christmas Tree Myth

Obama and the White House Christmas Tree Myth There are many vicious rumors about President Barack Obama and his religion. One such myth is that Obama is a closet Muslim. Another alleges Obama canceled the National Day of Prayer. See more: 5 Wacky Myths About Obama Heres one more oddball, and wrong, claim that makes the rounds at Christmastime: The Obamas did away with the traditional White House Christmas tree beginning in 2009 in favor of a secular holiday tree. Myth of the Obama Holiday Tree Spreads A widely circulated email reads, in part: We have a friend at church who is a very talented artist. For several years she, among many others, has painted ornaments to be hung on the various White House Christmas trees. The WH sends out an invitation to send an ornament and informs the artists of the theme for the year. She got her letter from the WH recently. It said that they would not be called Christmas trees this year. They will be called Holiday trees. And, to please not send any ornaments painted with a religious theme. The myth of the Obama holiday tree is just a bunch of holiday hooey. The origins of the email are unknown, and thus suspect. The White House has denied ever sending such a letter instructing artists not to send ornaments with religious themes. How the Obamas Refer to the Tree The Obamas themselves refer to the tree that adorns the White House Blue Room as a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree. First Lady Michelle Obama, speaking with the president on his weekly radio address on Dec. 24, 2009, made reference to the White House Christmas tree. This is our first Christmas in the White House, and we are so grateful for this extraordinary experience, Mrs. Obama said. Not far from here, in the Blue Room, is the official White House Christmas tree. Its an 18-foot tall Douglas-fir from West Virginia and its decorated with hundreds of ornaments designed by people and children from all over the country. Each one is a reminder of the traditions we cherish as Americans and the blessings were thankful for this holiday season. The official White House website, by the way, contains not a single reference to any holiday tree. And the National Christmas Tree Association, whose members have presented the official White House tree for the Blue Room since 1966, also calls it a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree. Its time for this holiday hoax to be nipped in the bud. True Facts About the White House Christmas Tree The White House Christmas Tree, not to be confused with the National Christmas Tree, is the official indoor Christmas tree at the White House. The National Christmas Tree is the much larger tree installed annualy on the Ellipse outside the White House. The â€Å"first† White House Christmas Tree is believed to have been installed by either President Franklin Pierce during the 1850s or by President Benjamin Harrison during the late 1880s. The tradition of the First Lady choosing a decorative theme for the tree began in 1961, when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy selected a Nutcracker motif. Earlier Christmas Controversies The Obama tree is far from the first White House Christmas to spark criticism. In 1899, the Chicago Daily Tribune urged President William McKinley to drop what the newspaper called the â€Å"Christmas tree habit,† in reference to backers of the â€Å"forestry fad† of the day, which had called the cutting of Christmas trees â€Å"arboreal infanticide.† Others called Christmas trees â€Å"un-American,† being a historically German tradition. In 1899, only one Christmas tree was placed inside the White House- in the kitchen for the maids. In 1969, at the height of the Cold War, President Richard Nixon’s choice of the atomic symbol rather than a traditional religious star as a White House tree topper drew harsh rebuke. In 1995, President Bill Clinton was criticized for â€Å"politicizing† the tree. The controversy surrounded an ornament that depicted two Christmas stockings, one marked â€Å"Bill† and one marked â€Å"Newt,† in reference to Democrat Clinton’s arch political rival, Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. The stocking marked â€Å"Bill† was filled with candy and gifts, while the one marked â€Å"Newt† was full of coal.

Verbing Family Members

Verbing Family Members Verbing Family Members Verbing Family Members By Maeve Maddox The other day when I saw the words to an unfamiliar modern hymn displayed on a screen, I stumbled over the word Father used as a verb. My momentary confusion was not because a noun was being used as a verb, but because the verbed noun was capitalized. Note: Even though the fathering mentioned in the hymn was being done by God the Father, the verb did not require a capital. I started thinking about the verbing of other nouns for family members. One often sees father and mother used as verbs. The earliest OED citation of father in the sense of â€Å"to beget† is dated 1483. The earliest use in the sense of â€Å"to look after like a father† is dated 1577. Shakespeare uses father in both senses in Cymbeline (1611). Belarius, reflecting on the nobility of his foster sons compared to the lack of it in others, says, â€Å"Cowards father Cowards,† Later in the play, when the Roman general Lucius invites Fidele to be his page, he says he will father him rather than master him. Note: The character Fidele is a disguised woman, Imogen. As Lucius believes her to be a boy, I’ve used the masculine pronoun. The earliest OED citation for mother in the sense of â€Å"to give birth† is dated 1548. The earliest citation for mother in the sense of â€Å"to take care of like a mother† is much later: 1863. Unlike father, which can still mean beget, mother is no longer used in the sense â€Å"to give birth to.† Procreating men â€Å"father children,† but women â€Å"have babies.† I’ve often used a line from Shakespeare’s King Richard the Second to illustrate the fact that nouns can be used as verbs: â€Å"Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle† (Act 2, Scene 3). However, the Duke of York is not using uncle to describe a manner of behavior, in the way we use father and mother, but as a term of address. He’s telling his outlawed nephew not to look for favors from him by calling him uncle. York’s use of the word uncle is an example of anthimeria. Anthimeria (aka antimeria): a rhetorical term for the creation of a neologism by using one part of speech (or word class) in place of another. Other terms for anthimeria are â€Å"conversion† and â€Å"functional shifting.† Advertisers do this kind of thing. An annoying example that comes to mind is the Nutella slogan, â€Å"Spread the happy,† in which the adjective happy is used as a noun. I looked in vain for uses of other family relationships that are commonly verbed. A woman can mother someone, but not aunt or grandmother anyone. A man can father someone, but not uncle or grandfather him in the sense of behaving as an uncle or as a grandfather. The noun grandfather can be used as a verb. The verbal use derives from the legal term â€Å"grandfather clause.† A  Ã¢â‚¬Å"grandfather  clause† is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule  will  apply to all future cases.  For example, the US Army plans to establish a new tattoo policy that forbids new recruits to have tattoos below their elbows and knees or above their neckline. According to an article in Stars and Stripes Magazine, â€Å"Current soldiers will be grandfathered in as long as the tattoos are not racist, sexist, or extremist.† Although not itself used as a verb, the noun cousin may be the source of the verb cozen. cozen verb: to deceive by artful wheedling or tricky dishonesty. Note: Both cousin and cozen are pronounced the same: /KUH-zin/ Some dictionaries cite an Italian source for cozen, but another possible origin is the French verb cousiner: to cheat on pretext of being a cousin. This possibility brings us back to York’s use of uncle in the scene in which Bolingbroke attempts to use a title of kinship to further his own ends. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictHow to Pronounce MobileComma After Introductory Phrases