I really felt like getting away from the hustle of bad news, fake news, or news in general but the topic of the White House sporting ugly Christmas trees leapt right out of the news and headed straight for a badly needed prescription of Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. The principles learned are too good to pass up as we enter the holiday season. Let’s have a go at it.
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Haters gonna hate. How anyone could find a plethora of Christmas trees lavishly decorated to be ugly, creepy, or bloody red (yep.. you read that correctly) is beyond me. Common sense citizens take this stuff in stride, look up the YouTube videos of the White House Christmas 2018, enjoy a free video tour in 6 minutes or less and get on with their lives. They are satisfied that the United States knows how to select the top 230 volunteer decorators out of 6000 applicants (that’s right… 6K applicants this year) to make “The People’s House” look amazing in only a few days.
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Everybody has their own taste. The White House hallway lined with red trees has been described as having “blood red trees.” This description was not meant to be a favorable one. Actually, the red color of those trees represents bravery, heart, and patriotism. Common sense citizenship requires that we look for the best in our fellow Americans, not assume the worst. Someone once told me that to “assume makes an a_ _ of u and me.” We lack common sense when we ass-u-me anything without the facts.
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Find something good in the everyday of life. The theme of this year’s White House exhibit is “American Treasures.” For example, there are fruit and vegetable laden trees that represent agriculture, a room celebrating the diversity of cities across the U.S.A., a tree with American pastimes, and a room that carries the First Lady’s “Be Best” theme for youth. This particular room came under great scrutiny for the 2 wreaths that used pencils with “Be Best” on them as part of the wreath’s formation. Common sense citizens may look at the wreaths and decide that no. 2 pencils are no substitute for Christmas greenery. On the other hand, a common sense citizen might applaud the stellar creativity of an artist that could incorporate the everyday utility item of students into a floral masterpiece. We choose to find the good in the everyday of life.??
