Tea at Trianon: Christmas at the White House, 2019

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Christmas at the White House, 2019

Our beautiful First Lady Melania Trump has once again overseen the most amazing and elegant decorations for Christmas. From the New York Post:

Melania Trump has decked the halls of the White House — with all things patriotic. The First Lady unveiled this year’s elaborate White House Christmas decorations in a video posted to Twitter late Sunday. “‘The Spirit of America’ is shining in the @WhiteHouse!” she wrote. “I am delighted to share this beautiful exhibit of patriotism for all to see, and excited for everyone to experience the beauty of the #Christmas season!”

A Gold Star Family Tree — adorned with golden stars and patriotic ribbons in honor of those who lost an immediate family member serving in the armed forces — greets visitors to the East Wing. The official White House Christmas tree, towering more than 18 feet tall, is decorated with handmade paper flowers representing the floral emblems of each state and territory. A close-up of one of the trees, shown in the video, reveals an ornament with the words “Be Best” spelled out in Scrabble tiles — referring to Melania’s anti-bullying initiative. (Read more.)

More pictures from USA Today: