Collectible Ornament Features a Hidden Tree for Your Tree by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

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Collectible Ornament Features a Hidden Tree for Your Tree

If Chicago is an indicator, the Christmas season is definitely here. They kicked it off in style last week with the annual Festival of Lights parade on Michigan Avenue. Santa was there as was I. He was there for the parade; I was there for ChicagoPEX. That stands for the Chicago Philatelic Exposition. Like the lights festival, it's been around for quite a while. In fact, this year was the 125th anniversary of the first exposition that was held there in 1886. That first event had to be a pretty modest. Postage stamps in the U.S. had only been around for 39 years — not a lot of time to create a groundswell of collector interest.

But I'd wager the number of those attending the 2011 show and auction was smaller than 30 years ago. That's when stamp collecting hit its zenith. People who wanted to invest in anything tangible were buying scarce stamps sight unseen. Those days are over. Now, collectors or investors definitely want to see what they're buying. At every dealer's table, collectors sat poring over stamps from around the world. Some cost just pennies apiece. Others were tens of thousands of dollars.

Like at most shows, the U.S. Postal Service had a booth set up. I felt sorry for the guy manning it. Most every person at the show was looking for older stamps. Only current stamps were available at the USPS table. I bought a few sheets from him for my Christmas cards. That's when I noticed something else — the 2011 White House Christmas ornament the USPS is selling.

Who knew there was an official White House ornament? Apparently, more than I would expect because it's been going on for a number of years. Happily, the ornaments aren't political. They're historical in their theme and attractive. And they may start to become collectible.

The 2011 White House Ornament harkens back to the 1901 to 1909 administration of Teddy Roosevelt. When the Roosevelt's moved into the White House, they had six children. No kids had occupied the White House since 1897, so it captured the attention of the country.

In fact, Christmas with the Roosevelt family was said to be festive and fun as the holiday should be when children are involved.

The image on the front of the colorful ornament is a vintage image of a classic Santa approaching the White House with his sack filled with gifts. A caption below reads, "I hear that there are some kids in the White House this year." The back of the ornament is even more telling.

As history notes, Roosevelt was an early environmentalist. As such, he didn't believe in live trees being used just for decoration. As president, he wanted to set an example by not having a cut tree in the White House. His kids thought otherwise.

Two of his sons, Archie and Quentin, wanted a tree so much they decided to sneak a small one into their closet. (That was back when something could be snuck into the White House.) Of course, the likelihood of successfully hiding a live tree indoors was slim and Roosevelt found it. But there was an upside. Roosevelt learned that the cutting of some trees was good for forests because the thinning allowed other trees to grow better. The result was Roosevelt allowing a live Christmas tree in the White House from then on. The back of the ornament features an illustration of the moment when Roosevelt uncovered the hidden tree in the closet.

The ornament is trimmed in elaborate gold-plated, metallic scrolls. It and the previous year's White House ornaments that preceded it are beautifully produced and add a decoratively historic touch to a Christmas tree.

The ornament is available in select post offices around the country for about $25. If it's not for sale at one near you, you can also check the website: WhiteHouseHolidiays.com. At the latter, you can also view ornaments from previous years.

It's a nice and, as I said, a non-partisan way to celebrate the holidays. After all, none of the ornaments feature a president that has been alive for quite a while. That assures a Merry Christmas for all!

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the 2011 White House ornament has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.