The letter, addressed to "1600 Pencilvania Ave." pulls no punches.
"Dear President Clinton," wrote Britta Larsen and Keha McIlwaine, fifth-graders at Washington Elementary. "We have been thinking about the true meaning of Christmas, and have found that it is sharing and giving to others. However, cutting down a 100-year-old tree and driving it from California to Washington, D.C., to place it in front of the White House for a Christmas tree is doing neither of these things, but is taking from nature and depriving others of its natural beauty."Britta and Keha penned their letter Tuesday, after teacher Kasi Parara read them a newspaper article about the White House Christmas tree.
The girls advised Clinton to plant a living tree "instead of killing one and taking it from its natural habitat."
"If you do not concider (sic) our solution, please think of this the next time you cut down a 100-year-old tree. It does not matter how old it is any more, because you have just ended its life, and it will not live any longer."
Keha and Britta signed their letter "two very concerned 11-year-old girls."