It was just over a hundred years ago when the first “National Christmas Tree” was erected and lit on the White House lawn.
The 48-foot Balsam fir was a gift of Vermont’s Middlebury College, a school from the new president’s home state. Coolidge had unexpectedly become the nation’s chief executive four months earlier following the death of Warren G. Harding.
There’s no transcript of any remarks from President Coolidge that Christmas Eve, but we know over 3,000 school children were present. The Marine Corps Band led the gathered crowd in the singing of carols as the president pushed a button that illuminated the 3,000 electric lights.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump continued the longstanding tradition of lighting a White House tree on the executive mansion’s lawn. But unlike “Silent Cal,” the nation’s 45th and 47th president had a lot to say as the tree was lit.
Since his first term in the Oval Office, President Trump has long championed the idea of unapologetically and unashamedly saying, “Merry Christmas!” rather than a more neutral and inclusive “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” Many have appreciated this boldness and some have even seen it as something of an evangelistic fervor and expression.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Trump began:
During this holy season, Christians everywhere rejoice at the miracle of Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, when the Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came down from Heaven to be with us.
Full of grace and truth, He brought the gift of God’s love into the world and the promise of salvation for every person and every nation.
He then pivoted to explain the significance and symbolism of the Christmas tree:
Tonight, this beautiful evergreen tree glows bright on the dark and cold winter night and reminds us of the words of the Gospel of John: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
President Trump then interjected on the Gospel writer John’s description of Jesus, calling it “beautiful.”
He then continued:
With the birth of Jesus, human history turned from night to day. His Word and His example call us to love one another, to serve one another, and to honor the sacred truth that every child is specially made in the image of God.
America has stood tall in part because millions of our citizens have heeded that call and the faith and service of Christians have been essential parts of America’s strength from the very, very beginning. Incredible.
The president went on to reference the “Miracle of Christmas” and suggest that the Lord was the “true source of greatness, happiness and strength.” He then characterized the birth of Christ as the “Good News” of a “glorious night” 2,000 years ago.
Presidents routinely use the bully pulpit of their office to advance their agenda. And chief executives over the years have regularly referenced God while doing so, though often in general terms. In a world that so often secularizes the sacredness of Christmas, reducing it to sentimentality and Santa Claus and snowmen, it’s refreshing to see it once more spoken about in its appropriate biblical context.
Image from Getty
