It took less than 24 hours for #theresistance and #nevertrump to find something bad about the beautiful traditional white house Christmas decorations. Watch the video on Melania's tweet and near the end you'll see what I suspect is what really has their panties in a wad is a reminder of the reason for celebrating Christmas - a nativity scene.
Anti-Trump Media: White House Christmas Decor 'Spooky,' Like a Scene from 'The Shining' By Debra Heine November 28, 2017
Did you know that those exquisite White House Christmas decorations First Lady Melania Trump proudly unveiled yesterday are "spooky," "spine-chilling," and "nightmarish" — like scenes from Mordor, Narnia, or The Shining?
It took most of the day yesterday, but by nightfall, the Trump-hating media was able to settle on an unfavorable narrative with which to belittle the newly unveiled decor.
Here is the official White House video of the first lady showing off the decorations:
The decorations are up! @WhiteHouse is ready to celebrate! Wishing you a Merry Christmas & joyous holiday season! pic.twitter.com/d6ZuyeFvrw — Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) November 27, 2017
What's not to like? According to HuffPost, the "Spooky White House Christmas Chamber Is Creeping Everyone The Heck Out." "One chamber in particular is getting attention online for all the wrong reasons. It’s a twig-lined hallway that’s being compared to everything from 'The Shining' to 'The Blair Witch Project,'" HuffPo wrote.
The photo in question is poorly lit and apparently looks "creepy" to those with overactive imaginations:
The holidays are upon us!! Right now: flotus is seeing to every last detail here at the @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/TglHYDVUx1 — Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) November 27, 2017
Speaking of overactive imaginations, "Melania Trump decks the halls with dead branches, spine-chilling wails of the damned," according to the AV Club. "The holiday in question, in case you were checking your calendars, is Christmas, which in Melania Trump’s mind apparently conjures up the naked terror of running through a dark forest, alone, pursued by wraithlike shadows and the grasping claws of brittle, dead branches, the only sound the cackling of the ancient witch who will grant your wish to be rich and famous with a designer wardrobe and a gold-plated toilet… for a price," they opined.
Good Lord. Someone tell this Edgar Allan Poe wannabe that these are fairly standard Christmas decorations.
Make Narnia Great Again @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/Q25k29nNdd — Mortons East (@MortonsEast) November 28, 2017
Of course, some fashion magazines had to chime in, too.
Elle magazine covered the story with a mocking tone: "The Theme for the White House Christmas Decorations Is Fear!" "This year, guests of the White House can have the perfect holiday experience of racing, screaming, through the halls of power before paying to leave. Nothing says Christmas like echoing cries of terror!" Elle complained.
Yes, see how frightened these children were? One of them even thought Melania looked "wraith-like" (or angelic) herself.
Of course, Vogue had to weigh in, remarking that the decor is "very, very white" and perhaps a manifestation of the first lady's loneliness and isolation living in a White House with a man she can't stand. "Is she trying to tell us something?" they asked. "Indeed, some of the decorations brought to life an apocalyptic, barren landscape similar to what some of us imagine lies in America’s future, or the calming white walls of a mental institution. One grim hallway in particular, lined with white branches lit from below, created a shadowy portal into, well, who knows."
The Washington Post felt the need to slam "the odd assortment of books that make up the White House Christmas book tree."
The titles that make up President Trump's holiday book tree are a perplexing assortment. "Holding Up the Earth" (2000) is a teen novel about five generations of women whose tales come together in a "story quilt." "Sangoma" is a memoir of a former Eagle Scout from Illinois who moves to Swaziland to become a spiritual healer. "Developing Superior Work Teams" seems like a book the president might want to at least skim. "American Mourning," an academic study of how public mourning shapes politics "and might be employed to shape our future outcomes," seems an unusual choice, given the public mood.