Florida air force base orders residents to take down Christmas decor | US military
Military families living at an air base in Florida have been ordered to take down their Christmas decorations under a tightly enforced regulation that determines when and where they are allowed to celebrate.
Residents of Tyndall air force base received a brief note from their landlord, private housing developer Balfour Beatty Communities, informing them that an actual patrol of the facility had revealed violations of their lease in the form of early holiday inflatables, lights and other festive decorations.
The message, titled “One holiday at a time,” said, “While walking around the neighborhoods yesterday, it was noticed that Christmas decorations were already appearing in the community.”
“All holiday decorations must reflect the relevant months and be no later than 30 days prior to the holiday in question. If you currently have Christmas time decor outside your home, please remove it and reinstall it in accordance with your community guidelines.”
The rule, copied at the bottom of the message, bans Christmas lights from being turned on from the week after Thanksgiving, which this year falls on Nov. 27, until the third week of January. And even during this period it should be dark from 23:00 until 18:00 the next day.
In comments made to an unofficial person Facebook page for air force personnel On posters reprinting the note, some posters welcomed this development while others opposed it.
“People need to find joy the way they can right now,” one commenter said.
But another simply said: “So can we give Thanksgiving a shot?”
Tyndall’s public relations chief, Capt. Justin Davidson-Beebe, confirmed the authenticity of the directive in a statement to the military news website. Mission and Purposefirst person to report this. But he insisted that the order was not given by military commanders.
“These guidelines are not part of a broader air force policy,” he said. “Since community standards in some facilities are set by the privatized housing management company, standards may vary from base to base.”
“They enforce the community standards set out in the legally binding lease agreement that all residents voluntarily sign,” Tyndall added.
Task & Purpose noted that despite the passage of a law during the Biden administration in 2020, private housing management companies still have tremendous power over military tenants. comprehensive declaration of rights It was signed by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the commanders of the land, navy and air forces.
The order not to celebrate Christmas, or at least postpone it, appears to contradict Donald Trump’s oft-repeated claims that he is “saving” the festival from arousing activists who insist on saying “Merry Christmas” instead of “Merry Christmas.”
Although the president has not commented on the Tyndall directive, housing rules on military bases appear to have the support of many of his political allies.
Last month, The Atlantic reported that influential policy advisor Stephen Miller said; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; and Secretary of State Marco Rubio; had it all among others began to reside in the civil servants’ accommodation at a facility in the Washington area, allegedly for their safety.
It is not known if they have started putting up the Christmas decorations yet.
