FDRs book of Christmas Carols
It's the holiday season, and, like most things in 2017, the requisite White House celebrations have been conducted to the strangest degree possible. From First Lady Melania Trump's spooky Winter wonderland to President Donald Trump's remarkably (albeit unsurprising) empty tree lighting, everything seems to be taking place in the Upside Down. But for the most recent botching of tradition, let us gaze upon the Advent calendar offering that is a recent Instagram post from former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
On Dec. 12, Spicer shared a photo taken of a glass-encased, leather-bound edition of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol that apparently belonged to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. "FDRs book of Christmas Carols," Spicer wrote in his caption, an innocent and literal judging of a book by its cover. But as usual, Spicer is terribly incorrect. A Christmas Carol is the story of a grumpy old man named Ebeneezer Scrooge who transforms into a more kindly, giving soul after encountering multiple ghosts who place his life in context. While the cloud of the White House's own presidential Scrooge may have obscured this from Spicer's mind, the holiday classic is in no way a songbook, nor is it a musical.
Accordingly, many commenters took the opportunity to point out the mistake and roast Spicer (as well as everyone else involved with the current administration). "Did Betsy DeVos tell you that?" one person quipped, as another wondered, "Where did you get your college degree? Trump University?" Others gave Spicer similar literary recommendations ("You should read A Tale of Two Cities - it's about Minneapolis/St. Paul"), while some went straight for yule log burns ("Merry Christmas, you big dope.").
Spicer has yet to admit if this post was either a mistake or a joke or some sort of failed combination of the two. Regardless, we're left to believe that Spicer - and assumedly those around him - has no idea what A Christmas Carol is. Naturally, this does not bode well for Spicer's recent bookish aspirations.
