Posted on 11/29/2005 4:24:44 AM PST by RWR8189
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has told federal officials that the lighted, decorated tree on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol -- known in recent years as the "Holiday Tree" -- should be renamed the "Capitol Christmas Tree," as it was called until the late 1990s.
The Capitol's senior landscape architect confirmed the name switch yesterday for The Washington Times.
"It was known as the 'Holiday Tree' for several years and just recently was changed back to the 'Capitol Christmas Tree.' This was a directive from the speaker," said Capitol architect Matthew Evans.
"The speaker believes a Christmas tree is a Christmas tree, and it is as simple as that," said Ron Bonjean, spokesman for the Illinois Republican.
The Capitol tree, traditionally overshadowed by the White House's "National Christmas Tree," was renamed a "holiday tree" several years ago, according to the Capitol Architect's offices, in an effort to acknowledge the other holidays of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah -- although no one seemed to know exactly when the name was changed or by whom.
Calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree has become a politically charged prospect in jurisdictions across the country -- from Boston to Sacramento and in dozens of communities in between.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
bttt!!!
Snort.
ping
wow. a congressman with nads. imagine that.
But maybe that's just me.
Simple as that!!
Great news!
When I see "Holiday Tree" written I ask
"So will you have this tree during Presidents Day, Labor Day, and Independence Day; they are holidays too".
'Nads?'. That's not 'nads'. 'Nads would be reducing federal spending, decisively winning the war in Iraq, reforming the UN, reforming Social Security, Fannie Mae, addressing Chinese espionage and unfair trade practices, and coming down HARD on pedophiles.
Yes, this is good news, but in terms of making any sort of a difference, it's largely fluff.
Bravo for Speaker Hastert - this is exactly the right thing to do!!!
It's about time for 'Pubbies to start fighting back against insanity and the leftists' war on Christianity.
History of the Christmas Tree
THE CHRISTMAS TREE
It is generally believed that the first Christmas tree was of German
origin dating from Boniface, English missionary to Germany in the 8th
century, who replaced the sacrifices to Odin's sacred oak by a fir
tree adorned in tribute to the Christ child. The legend is told that
Boniface found a group of "pagans" preparing to sacrifice a boy near an
oak tree. He cut down the oak tree with a single stroke of his ax and
stopped the sacrifice. A small fir tree sprang up in place of the oak.
He told the pagans that this was the "tree of life" and stood for Christ.
Accounts persist that Martin Luther introduced the tree lighted with
candles. Returning home after a walk one winter night, the story goes,
he tried unsuccessfully to describe to his family the beauty of the
starry night. He went out and cut down a small fir tree and put lighted
candles upon it.
In a manuscript dated 1605 a merchant in Strasbourg, Germany wrote that
at Christmas, "they set up fir trees in the parlors in Strasbourg and
hang thereon roses cut out of paper of many colors, apples, wafers,
spangle-gold and sugar. The custom of decorating the trees may have
developed from the medieval Paradise Play. This play was a favorite
during the Advent season because it ended with the promise of a Savior.
The action in the play centered around a fir tree hung with apples.
In the fifteenth century, trees were decorated with wafers. Later,
stars and flowers made from white pastry, and men and animals made from
brown pastry, were used.
It is well known that the German Prince Albert, soon after his marriage to
Queen Victoria, introduced it into England around 1840 from his homeland.
In 1841, he began the custom of decorating a large tree in Windsor Castle.
Soon the custom spread throughout England. German immigrants brought
the custom to the United States and tree decorating is recorded back to
1747 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Many individuals and communities vie for the honor of having decorated
the first Christmas tree in America. One interesting story tells of
Hessian soldiers who fought for George III in the Revolutionary War.
As they were keeping Christmas in Trenton, New Jersey around a decorated
tree, they left their posts unguarded. George Washington and his troops
were hungry and freezing at Valley Forge, but they planned their attack
with the knowledge that the Hessians would be celebrating and thus would
not be as able to defend themselves.
Christmas trees really became popular in the United States following the
invention of the electric light. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland
decorated the tree at the White House with electric Lights. This idea
caught on and spread across the country.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com/holidayhistory
untill he get an ounce of heat for it...then he'll change his mind.
I am waiting for someone to call a Menorhah a "Holiday Candelabra"
Call the Menorah the Holiday Candlestick.
For the LAST time............Kwanzaa is NOT a freakin' holiday, damn it all.
A tiger is a tiger and a snake is a snake. Simple as that.
Now if Nasty Pelosi can take that 'Festivus Pole' out of her ass...
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