The Philadelphia regional office of the Veterans Affairs Department said Wednesday that a Christmas tree being removed from its office is in a box, not on display.
Agency spokeswoman Erica Dunbar said the office “recognizes and appreciates the diversity of our veteran and employee community and we respect all forms of religious expression.”
“In response to employee concerns tied to office clutter and cleanliness, leadership cleared out a common area containing miscellaneous items,” she said. “During this process, they identified a fully closed cardboard box containing a dismantled Christmas tree along with other stored holiday décor. An email was sent in an effort to identify the owner of the box, and it was claimed shortly thereafter by a fellow employee.”
Another supervisor issued an urgent memo Tuesday for the owner of the Christmas tree to remove it by Friday or it would be discarded. Some employees said it was evidence of “tone deaf” management and an effort to whitewash the Christmas holiday.
Ms. Dunbar said under department policy, “holiday decorations are allowed and encouraged through the month of December with certain guidelines in place to ensure a safe, happy holiday season for all employees at the Philadelphia Regional Office.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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