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    "title": "Christmas, 1975 - General",
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        "President (1974-1977 : Ford). Office of the First Lady. 1974-1977",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box 36, folder \"Christmas, 1975 - General\" of the\nSheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nSome items in this folder were not digitized because it contains copyrighted\nmaterials. Please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library for access to\nthese materials.\nDigitized from Box 36 of the Sheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nCHRISTMAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE\nINTRODUCTION\nChristmas is a time of greàt joy, a time for family and friends and\na time for thought and prayer. Along with the millions of other American\nfamilies that celebrate this special holiday, the Nation's First Families\nhave traditionally joined in the gaiety with White House festivities con-\nveying to all, the generousity and goodwill of those who dwell within.\nAlthough much political history has been made behind its great doors, we\nare reminded at this season that the White House has also been a home\nsince 1800 with each new family sharing and celebrating many of their\nown Yuletide observances and customs with the American people. Sparkling\nwith colorful decorations, spiced with smells of deliciously prepared\nfoods and ringing with the happy sounds of laughter and song, the White\nHouse has, since its earliest days, symbolized our country's festive\ncelebration' of Christmas. The triumphs and heartbreak, ceremony and personal\ndrama which generated from the Presidential Residence are recalled with\nholiday nostalgia in the following pages.\nEARLY CELEBRATIONS\nThe history of Christmas at the White House is as exciting and\ndiverse as our Nation's heritage with succeeding Christmases reflecting\nthe personalities of those who have played leadership roles in its de-\nvelopment. Our first President, George Washington, did not have the\npleasure of living in this fine home because it was not fully constructed\nuntil 1800. However, our second President, John Adams, moved in before\nthe house was totally completed -- just one month before Christmas.\nAlthough the mansion was forbiddingly cold and damp, Abigail Adams\nwas determined to make the first White House Christmas a most memorable\none. She planned two parties to celebrate the season: one given for\nthe members of Congress, Government officials and the social elite of\nthe District of Columbia and the second given for young children who\nwere invited to play with their four-year-old granddaughter, Suzannah.\nTwenty cords of wood were burned to warm the chambers and dry the\nplaster, but unfortunately the new Executive Mansion was still far\nfrom cozy. The older guests shivered throughout the evening, leaving\ndistressingly early but with the customary high spirits of childhood,\nthe little ones romped about and kept warm with all the activity of\nthe lively games, thereby enjoying thoroughly the gaiety of the occasion.\nThomas Jefferson, a true connoisseur, maintained a refined house-\nhold despite his being a widower. Engaging the help of his Secretary\nof State's charming wife, Dolley Madison, he hosted exceptionally gay\nand exciting Christmas parties. In 1805 all six of his grandchildren\nwere on hand to keep him company. Festivities became SO overjoyful\nthat in the midst of all the hot toddys, food and fun, the reserved\nPresident Jefferson grabbed his violin and played for the dancing\npleasure of his one hundred guests.\n- 2 -\nSeveral years later Dolley Madison, as First Lady, again served as\nhostess for the White House Christmas galas. Mrs. Madison, always as\nelaborate as she was exuberant, ordered from France a huge, ornate\nmirror on which to display the many plates of goose, hen, puddings, cakes\nand other delicacies prepared for her holiday guests. Unfortunately the\nMadisons' extravagant social life was interrupted all too abruptly by\nthe outbreak of the War of 1812 and the ensuing destruction of the\nWhite House.\nThus, it was not until 1817, during the Monroe Administration, that\na First Family again enjoyed Christmas entertainment in the Presidential\nResidence. Their holiday celebration was particularly memorable, espe-\ncially for their daughter, who met her future husband, Samuel L. Gouvernuer,\nher father's secretary, there.\nTHE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS SHARING\nThe refreshing spontaneity and boundless happiness of young children\nenjoying Christmas has truly been a most treasured aspect of White House\nfestivities. Children were especially important to Andrew Jackson during\nthe holiday season. Since his beloved wife, Rachel, had died only a\nfew months before he entered the White House, his grandnieces and nephews\narrived to cheer him on this first lonely Christmas. They insisted that\nhe put up a stocking, and while he slept, they. filled it with a corncob\npipe and other goodies -- a thoughtfulness which brought tears to the\neyes of the stately \"old Hickory.\"\nPresident Jackson often reminded his family that \"the best way to\nsecure happiness is to bestow it upon others.\" With tender memories\nof his days as an orphan, he directed his oldest nieces and nephews\nto pack up holiday baskets of treats and visit an orphanage in their\nhorse drawn carriage. This became one of \"Uncle Andy's\" favorite projects\nand the children went there often to lighten the hearts of the homeless\nchildren.\nThe spirit of giving to the less fortunate remains a very vital\npart of White House Christmas rituals and America's Presidents through-\nout the years have derived much satisfaction from sharing their homes\nas well as their goodwill with those in need.\nAbraham Lincoln and his family were especially noted for their\ncharitable deeds. Young Tad showed up at the White House kitchen door\none Christmas day with street urchins he had befriended. Although the\ncook wanted to shoo them away, the President insisted they be invited\nin for turkey and yuletide merriment.\nMore often it was the First Lady of the land who became involved\nin the special efforts to brighten the Christmases of the needy in\nWashington as well as to set an example of generosity for the entire\ncountry. Frances Folsom Cleveland, wife of our 22nd and 24th Presi-\ndent, enjoyed attending benefit dinners given for the poor by area\n- 3 -\nChristmas clubs. Her presence was a vital boost to citizen responsiveness\nand participation in these philanthropic drives. Mrs. Cleveland had a\ngreat sensitivity to underprivileged children, distributed toys to them\nand joined in their laughter at Punch and Judy puppet shows which she\nhad helped to promote.\nEven in the dreary days following the great depression, the White\nHouse stood as a symbol of the Christ Child's message of faith, hope\nand charity. President and Mrs. Hoover decorated the rooms and filled\nthem with the sound of happy children. Their grandchildren Peter and\nPeggy Anne hosted a special party for their friends who were asked to\nbring toys, warm clothing and candy, not for each other, but for the\npoor youngsters affected by the bad economic times. Girl Scouts were\ninvited to serve and Mrs. Hoover led the young people through the halls\nof the Executive Mansion, each holding a candle and harmonizing in\nChristmas carols.\nEleanor Roosevelt, a woman of great compassion and deep personal\nempathy for others, made visits each year to the slums of the District\nof Columbia as a part of her Christmas ritual. Colorful stockings filled\nby various civic groups, festive trees and messages of peace and happiness\nwere the gifts she carried to these grateful citizens.\nWashington's orphans from St. Anne's Asylum and Junior Village were\ngiven a special holiday treat during the Kennedy years. At a party hosted\nby Mrs. Robert Kennedy, the President's sister-in-law, children delighted\nin receiving candy, balloons and other goodies as well as cherished\nmemories of their day at the White House.\nDuring the Johnson Administration, Mrs. Johnson held an Annual\nChildren's Party, inviting underprivileged youngsters from the metro-\npolitan area. In 1966 one hundred and fifty of them came, and between\nwatching a puppet show, eating ice cream in the shape of Christmas trees\nand cookies, and meeting Santa Claus who provided gifts for all, the\nchildren had a most delightful time.\nMrs. Richard Nixon with her charming daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower,\nwelcomed children from the Foundation for the Junior Blind to a White House\nChristmas party in 1971. Along with delicious punch and cookies, these\nexceptional young people enjoyed singing carols and other popular tunes.\nThe highlight of their day was the unique opportunity to roam the upstairs\nrooms, becoming acquainted with objects of the famous Lincoln bedroom\nthrough vivid narration and special permission to handle the historical\nfurniture.\nFESTIVE ENTERTAINMENT\n\"Anything goes\" was the rule in President Teddy Roosevelt's household,\nand there was never a dull moment in the joviality and merry-making in the\nWhite House during these years. On one Christmas afternoon, a turkey that\nhad been delivered for Christmas dinner escaped from its pen. The President's\n- 4 -\nsons, in the tradition of the old lion hunter himself, chased the bird\nall around the White House grounds waving hatchets as their father watched\ntheir wild antics with great laughter. The next day the Presidential\nfamily was severely reproached by the press for their cruelty to animals.\nAnother year the lively youngsters rode their ponies right into the\nmansion -- and got away with it!\n\"The Rough Rider\" took advantage of the Christmas vacation to prove\nto his officers that an order requiring them to ride 90 miles on horse-\nback in three days was not \"unduly harsh.\" He set out at three o'clock\none morning and returned from the long ride in the midst of a sleet\nstorm -- 17 hours later and just in time to thaw out and enjoy a holiday\nfeast.\nChristmases with the Rutherford B. Hayes family were as unusual as\nthey were exciting. The season of 1877 was especially festive as the\nPresident and his wife \"Lemonade Lucy\" re-enacted their wedding as a\npart of their silver anniversary celebration. In the company of the\noriginal guests, Mrs. Hayes appeared in the same white silk wedding\ngown and joined hands with husband Rutherford to exchange vows before\nthe pastor who had officiated 25 years earlier.\nRomance was again an important part of the Hayes' Christmas, although\nit was a long time developing. At a party for daughter Fanny, one of the\nguests, Helen Herron, a debutante from Cincinnati, shocked the gathering\nby openly declaring that she planned to return to the White House as a\nFirst Lady. She did indeed return to live in this Presidential Home\nsome 30 years later --- as the wife of President William Howard Taft.\nAs First Lady, Mrs. Taft enjoyed four more festive holidays in\nWashington. Perhaps one of the most unusual gifts her jovial and overly\nrotund husband ever received while in office was a special pie presented\nto him by the International Bakers Asdiciation. Knowing how much he\nloved to eat, they made him a meat pie that measured 38 inches in diameter\nand weighed 92 pounds -- this for the family's Christmas feast!\nUndoubtedly the most exciting yet traumatic Christmas Eve in White\nHouse History was that of 1929 when the Old Executive Office Building\nburned. President Hoover left his guests, including several children,\nand dashed from his dinner party in the elegantly decorated State Dining\nRoom to the roof of the White House to direct the fire fighting. After\nmuch entreating and pleading, the Secret Servicemen finally persuaded\nhim to rejoin his guests for the final moments of the holiday party.\nThe following year President Hoover again invited the same children\nto the White House on Christmas Eve and presented them with fire engines\nin commemoration of the previous year's fire.\nCelebrating Christmas with overabounding zeal, the Franklin Roosevelts\nheld not only glamorous, official holiday parties but also private fes-\ntivities that went on for days. On Christmas Eve the President began the\n- 5 -\nritual with his famous reading from Dickens' immortal Christmas Carol\nand using a specific inflection for the role of Old Scrooge, enthralled\nall of his listeners. Stockings were hung that night and later filled\nby Eleanor with toothpaste, soap and other articles of cleanliness.\nGifts were not opened until Christmas afternoon and it is said that the\nPresident was so interested in all the presents that each family member\nreceived that he would not get around to opening all of his own gifts\nuntil a few days later.\nFranklin Roosevelt also celebrated the season with his staff at\na reception where he shook each individual's hand. This tradition which\nhas continued throughout the years was actually started by Herbert Hoover.\nHowever, it was Mamie Eisenhower who turned the gathering into a warmer\nparty by serving coffee and Christmas cakes from all over the world.\nShe even extended her generosity and gratitude by continuing the partv\nfor her personal staff in the family's personal quarters, upstairs in\nthe Mansion.\nDuring the Nixon Administration, there were several occasions for\nfamily, friends, officials and staff to gather in celebration of the\nseason. In addition to a Christmas Evening at the White House where\nappropriate selections from such diverse authors as Martial, Shakespeare,\nDickens, Dylan Thomas, Robert Benchly and Ogden Nash were read, the\nNixons also hosted a Worship Service of Lessons and Carols where children\nof staff members were invited not only to attend, but also to participate!\nOUIET CHRISTMASES\nChristmas for many Presidential families was not always a time\nfor fanfare and jubilation but an occasion for more solemn, private\nritual. James K. Polk and his wife, Sarah, were both serious and\nreligious individuals who viewed this period as a time for thought and\nmeditation. As her husband's private secretary, the sober Mrs. Polk\nhad little interest in planning social activities. Nevertheless,\nsensing as obligation to invite official government representatives\nto the Presidential Home, she planned a. formal reception, and in her\nmaroon dress, by the side of her husband, greeted quests before a\nroaring fire in the East Room. No food or wine was served however,\nand the First Lady allowed. no dancing or card plaving.\n- 6 -\nThe next two Presidents, Zachary Taylor who so tragically died only\na year after entering the White House, and his successor, Millard Filmore,\nalso preferred to observe Christmas in a more quiet and private manner. Both\nChief Executives entertained only family and close friends on Christmas,\nreserving New Year's Day for official guests.\nThere were times when the White House was filled with sorrow even in\nthe midst of this usually happy season. The Franklin Pierces' stay in the\nWhite House was profoundly affected by their witnessing the death of their\nson in a train accident just prior to the inauguration. Having lost their\nonly other child a few years earlier, President and Mrs. Pierce passed each\nChristmas without the comfort and joy of children near them.\nEven though the historic era before the Civil War was marked with some\nearly rumblings of separatism and the growing pains of westward expansion,\nthe Administrations of Presidents Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan\nwere relatively calm. However, in the true spirit of this pioneer age,\nPresident James Buchanan invited a delegation of visiting Pawnee Indians\nto a small holiday party. Although Buchanan, the only President who never\nmarried, had no family to gather for the holiday season, his unusual friends\nfrom the West brought great warmth and gaiety to the man whom they fondly\ncalled \"Great Father.\"\nDIFFICULT TIMES\nThe gaiety of the holiday season was also at times subdued by the\nfrustrations, loneliness and tragedies of a nation at war. On Christmas Eve,\n1861, President Lincoln left his family to call his cabinet together to con-\nsider the Trent Embargo, an issue of immense international concern. Two years\nlater he again spent his holidays working on a profoundly important document,\nthe Emancipation Proclamation which he issued on New Year's Day 1863, freeing\nall men from the bonds of slavery. And later in the day, he invited into\nhis home the groups of Negroes who had lined up outside in order to meet\nthe champion of their rights and freedom.\nIronically, on the Holy Day which has for Americans symbolized\nbrotherhood and goodwill to men, Lincoln learned of one of the most agonizing\nvictories in the bitter conflict between the North and South. On Christmas\nEve he received a message from General William Tecumseh Sherman, \"I beg to\npresent to you a Christms gift -- the city of Savannah.\"\nWorld War I depressed the spirits of our entire nation and its ideal-\nistic and deeply sensitive President, Woodrow Wilson. As a gift to the Nation,\nhe planted a huge elm tree as a living symbol of the peace and serenity for\nwhich he so fervently longed. However, still wrought with concern, he and\nhis second wife spent far from joyous Christmases retreating to the comfort\nof their Virginia home, distributing gifts to children who lived along the\nway.\n- 7 -\nIn 1941 with our Nation still quivering from the shock of the attack\non Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill joined the Roosevelts for the lighting\nof the National Christmas Tree. President Roosevelt revived the sagging\nspirits of a discouraged America by telling them, \"Let the children have\ntheir night of fun and laughter. By our sacrifice and daring, these same\nchildren shall not be robbed of their inheritance, or denied the right to\nlive in a free and decent world.\"\nOTHER OBSERVANCES\nNot all Presidents have chosen to spend their holidays in the public\neye at the Executive Mansion. With increased communication and transporta-\ntion, this is particularly true of some of our most recent leaders.\nPresident Harry Truman and his wife Bess enjoyed leaving the bustle of\nWashington festivities to find cheerful relaxation in their homestate of\nMissouri. It is interesting to note that while the White House was being\nrenovated in the late 1940's, the Trumans lived in Blair House across the\nstreet, and there were fewer opportunities for seasonal parties in the\nMansion itself. The Trumans experienced one particularly harrowing Christmas\nEve when the President's plane enroute to Missouri was caught in a sleet\nstorm and delayed in the air for several hours while an anxious nation\nawaited news of his safe landing.\nThe Kennedys and their two young children spent only two Christmases\nas the Nation's First Family before the young President was SO tragically\nassassinated in November 1963. Both of these holidays were spent at the\nKennedy family's residence in Palm Beach, Florida, so that all could be\ntogether with the President's ailing father. Two-year-old John-John\nreceived a toy helicopter just like the one that brought his daddy to the\nSouth Lawn of the White House -- quite a contrast to the hobbyhorses and\nwax dolls found under the stockings of the grandnieces and nephews of\nAndrew Johnson.\nLyndon Johnson and his family enjoyed Christmas Texas-style at their\nranch. Humor has always been a part of their celebration, and each year\nLady Bird decorates a deerhead hat rack with a red velvet nose and ornaments\nhanging from the antlers. This delightful creature is affectionately called\nRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The family exchanges gifts and one very\nspecial one that daughter Lynda Bird received from her mother was a first\nedition copy of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol.\nDECORATIONS\nWhat typifies the yuletide spirit more than shining decorations cheer-\nfully adorning our homes? The White House over the past 200 years is\ncertainly no exception, and each year the glitter of bright colors and\ntwinkling lights among the evergreens and mistletoe set the atmosphere for\nChristmas celebrations.\nThe first Christmas tree ever to be decorated in the White House\n- 8 -\nwas enjoyed by the Benjamin Harrisons in the Oval Room on the second\nfloor of the mansion. Everyone, including the family, staff members and\nthe President himself, decorated the tree with elaborate trimmings of real\ncandles and silvery ornaments. The young people frolicked amidst the\ndecorations singing German carols, and the President added to the fun by\ndressing up as Santa Claus and distributing gifts and goodies.\nHarrison continued to decorate the Presidential residence at\nChristmastime for the remainder of his term in office, despite the tragic\ndeath of his wife in the fall of 1892. His last Christmas in the White\nHouse was further dampened when his young granddaughter developed scarlet\nfever and was quarantined upstairs throughout the season. Nevertheless,\nwith undaunted spirits, he cheered the rest of his family by leading the\nannual tree decorating ritual.\nSince that time, Presidential families have enjoyed the charm and\npleasure of a decorated tree, each adding their own special touch and\npersonality to this delightful tradition.\nIt was the Eisenhowers who set the record for the greatest number of\ntrees in one season -- twenty-six! In 1959, Mamie, with her natural enthu-\nsiasm, decorated these trees, some with the ornaments and gifts sent to the\nEisenhowers by the Communist leader Nikita Khruschev. The decorations\neven extended to the laundry room and the maids' sitting chamber! Their\nlittle grandson David had his very own private tree on the third floor to\navoid the panic he caused a previous year when he awoke at 3 A.M., squealing\nwith delight over the presents under the tree.\nIn recent years the First Ladies have selected special themes for\nthe White House Christmas tree. Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962 styled a\ntree after the famous one in Tschaikowsky's ballet \"Nutcracker Suite,\"\nhanging sugarplum fairies, toy soldiers and drums as well as cookies and\nother goodies from every branch. White lights were used to set off the\nfine ornaments which were made by blind and elderly craftsmen. Tinsel was\nnot used that year for fear that it would hide the colorful details which\nSO greatly thrilled the Kennedy children, Caroline and John-John.\nLady Bird Johnson presented a new theme with her creation of the\nEarly American Tree. Gingerbread cookies, snowmen, teddy bears, nuts,\npopcorn, cranberry chains, straw stars, toy soldiers, drums and dried seed\npods were among the many ornaments which delighted visitors who passed\nthrough the Blue Room in 1966. The gingerbread was real as high as anyone\ncould reach, but on the upper branches, it was ceramic. The following\nyear shiny silver stars, tiny mirrors and balls were added, and little\nelves were placed under the tree to greet everyone who happened by.\nTo glorify the spiritual message of the birth of the Christ Child,\na beautiful eighteenth century Italian creche is now displayed in the\nEast Room. This exquisite nativity scene is composed of thirty handcarved,\nbaroque, elegantly attired figures, including the Holy Family, the Wise\nMen, their attendants, the shepherds and angels and all the animals\n- 9 -\nassociated with the manger. Donated to the White House during the Johnson\nAdministration, this fine and deeply inspiring work of art has become\nanother meaningful addition to White House Christmases.\nThe Christmas trees during the Nixon years have been a tribute to\nthe fifty American states. The \"American Flower Tree\" is adorned with\nvelvet and satin ornaments, each bearing a miniature replica of every\nstate's official flower, gem or mineral. In 1970 the theme of the tree\nwas expanded to reflect a special historical note. Gold and lace repro-\nductions of Mrs. Monroe's fans, created by handicapped artisans, were\nadded to the tree which was then moved to the Monroe Room, better known as\nthe Blue Room. These golden ornaments were a beautiful compliment to the\noriginal gilded Monroe chairs which are located in this chamber.\nAnother historical addition to the Nixon Christmas decor is the\ndisplay of the Fanny Hayes Doll House, constructed for President Hayes'\nyoung daughter by White House carpenters in 1877.\nPresident and Mrs. Nixon, their lovely daughters Tricia and Julie\nand their husbands, Edward Cox and David Eisenhower, customarily enjoy a\npersonal tree in their private quarters which is bedecked with ornaments\nthat tell a story of past Christmases spent together. Every family member\nhas an ornament with his or her name on it, and each year one new bulb is\nadded to represent an event or family adventure. Remaining a permanent part\nof the family tree is the little Christmas ball that Tricia made in kinder-\ngarten. And not to be forgotten in the celebration, the Nixon dogs each\nhave a stocking which is hung on the mantle and filled with treats.\nNot all Presidents have been such enthusiasts for the Christmas tree.\nTeddy Roosevelt, an ardent conservationist, believed that the practice of\ncutting trees to decorate homes at Christmas was a wasteful depletion of\nour forests, and he banned this tradition from. the Executive Mansion in\nan effort to influence his fellow Americans. Much to his surprise and\ninitial dismay, his young son Archie decided that Christmas was not Christmas\nwithout a tree and the lad smuggled one into the house, decorated it in\nsecrecy and waited until Christmas morning to unveil it. The President,\nafter a few encouraging words from noted conservationist, Gifford Pinchot,\nadmitted that it did lend a festive touch, and he then deemed a tree\npermissible only if it had been cut from an already too dense forest.\nThe exterior of the White House is also adorned with great splendor\nand exuberance. Passers-by on Pennsylvania Avenue have enjoyed the ever-\ngreen covered lanterns and twinkling lights which set off the North Portico.\nMillions of tourists to the Nation's Capital as well as area residents have\nhappily taken the public tour of the White House to view firsthand the\ndazzle and luster of their President's home decorated for Christmas. However,\nit was Mrs. Nixon with her characteristic warmth and friendliness who first\narranged special candlelight tours. She opened the doors to thousands for\nevening visits to the State Rooms and enhanced this time with the peaceful\nstrains of live Christmas and classical music.\n- 10 -\nNATIONAL PAGEANT OF PEACE\nAll Americans both in the Washington area and across the land, have\nshared in the annual celebration known as the National Pageant of Peace.\nThis meaningful observance began in 1923 with President Coolidge lighting\na giant spruce which had been donated by the state of Vermont and placed\non the South Lawn. This moving ceremony was broadcast on radio for the\nfirst time in 1925 so that the entire American public could enjoy the\naccompanying carol singing and trumpet blasts.\nIn 1932 the tree became a singing tree through the use of loud speakers\nhidden in its branches. Two years later the tree was moved across the\nstreet from the White House to Lafayette Park in order to accommodate the\ngrowing crowds. Franklin: Roosevelt had a special little tree made and\nfilled with nuts for the squirrels residing in the park.\nIn 1939 the site of the annual celebration was moved to its present\nlocation -- the Ellipse behind the South Lawn of the Executive Mansion.\nDuring the war years, electrical restrictions prevented using lights but\nthe ceremonies and speeches did help to lift the hearts and raise the hopes\nof a nation involved in World War II.\nPresident Eisenhower expanded the ceremony and invited 27 Embassies\nand their delegations to participate in the \"Pageant of Peace.\" This\ninternational exchange with the various foreign representatives is still an\nimportant part of the annual holiday observance.\nToday millions of Americans watch the lighting ceremonies via tele-\nvision. And Presidents who are absent from Washington light the tree by\nremote control from wherever they are, reminding the nation and the world\nof America's never ending quest for \"peace on earth, goodwill towards men.\"\nwush Post. 12/16/75\nAn old-fashioned Christmas, like those\n100 years ago, is on view at the White\nHouse.\nAn Early\nAn 18-foot Douglas fir dominates the\nBlue Room and is strung with tiny\nelectric bee lights. But its 3,000 or-\nnaments are hand-made, the kind that\ncould have been whipped up in anybody's\nAmerican\nkitchen or from scraps in granny's\nsewing basket.\nIn the spirit of the Bicentennial, First\nLady Betty Ford wanted a do-it-yourself\nChristmas, showing the skills of Early\nAmerica. For it, she borrowed heavily\nChristmas\nfrom the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk\nArt Collection in Colonial Williamsburg\nwith the help of Beatrice Rumford.\nMost of the ornaments for the tree were\nmade by volunteers in Colonial\nWilliamsburg, but there are also con-\ntributions from individuals and\nBy Dorothy McCardle\norganizations across the country-nursing\nhomes, 4-H Clubs and Girl Scouts.\nMrs. Ford also brought two home-\nPhyllis Jahn 0' neil\nPrince gengu Post\n+ Butet\n577-1601\n552-9400\nSANTA CLAUSE\nPainted wood made for a toy shop -- carved in 1880's\nby Samuel A. Robb of New York City\nAbout 3 feet high\nOn loan from Smitheonian History & Texhan Technology\n(Social office has agreement with Smithsonian not to\nput in release).\nFORD is LIBRARY GERALD\ncraft deçorating ideas\n2/26 call ather these 6 ask people. Nothing for File\n1303 FOCH\nFORT WORTH, TEXAS 76107\n817/338-4401\n7 bruary 18. 1976\nDear Sheila:\nThank you so very much\nfor the Christmas pictures. I\nreally appreciate your\nremembering - and anytime you\ndo have a craft- oriented picture\nglossy, if possible, black and\nwhite or color, we will try\nto work a story around it.\nBest\nFORD LIBRARY is GERALD\nDurelle\nP.S. Thought you would enjoy\nour February issue.\nDMS\nSalutes the\n200th Anniversary\nofour Country\nwith this magnificent reproduction of the\nStatue of Liberty made from another fine\nD.M.C product, Art. 237, Machine\nEmbroidery Thread.\nAvailable in transfer pattern No. 731 by\nVogart, and needlepoint canvas by Tina of\nCalifornia worked in D.M.C Tapestry\nWool, Art. 482.\nFor sources of transfer patterns, thread,\nand needlepoint canvas, write D.M.C today.\nDMC\nThe DMC\na\nCorporation\nDMC\n107 Trumbull Street, Dept. MCC, Elizabeth, N.J. 07206\nBelding Corticelli-Ltd: P.O. Box 9, Dept. MC, Montreal 101, Quebec, Canada\nFebruary 1976/$1.00\ndecorating\ncraft ideas\nTM\nStart your\nown\nBicentennial\nCollection\nStar-within-a-\nstar Quilt\nBicentennial\nNeedlepoint\nPillow\nCross-stitch\nSampler\n1776\nAlso Scrimshaw\nValentine Pillows\nPeter Hunt\nFolk Art Designs\nBeginning-\n1976\nI\n\"Crafts of\nAmerica:\n1776\n1776-1976\"\n*\n1976\n02\n0\n7189648281\nNewsmakers\nLos A. Times 12/16/75\nBetty Calls Ford Gift Idea Priceless\n-Santa Claus, if he ignores the chief executive's ex-\npress wishes, could be in deep trouble with the Ford Ad-\nministration. First Lady Betty Ford, standing amid yarn,\ncornhusks, strings of popcorn and cranberries, pinecones\nand crocheted angels, laughed and said President Ford\nhad looked up while reading the paper Sunday and jo-\nkingly showed her \"what he wanted-a new digital wrist-\nwatch that costs $3,000.\" Mrs. Ford, showing visitors the\nWhite House Christmas tree laden with 2000 homemade\nsent THE WASHINGTON WHITE HOUSE\nMrs. Sthel Rouse\n4800 N. 37 St.\narl.\n22207\nMrs. alberta Keno\n1212 Drivin\nLawton FOR LARY akla,\nGE\n73501\nFor Immediate Release\nChristmas Schedule--Week of December 15\nThursday, December 11, 1975\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nOffice of the Press Secretary to Mrs. Ford\nDec. 15--1:30 PM\nMrs. Ford will host a reception at the White House for\nthe volunteers who assisted in making the handcrafted\nChristmas decorations for the White House, and florists\nwho helped with the designs. The party will also serve as\na press preview of the decorations. Pick-up for photo-\ngraphers: 12:45 PM--writers: 1:15 PM\n5-7:00 PM\nStaff Party--Private\nDec. 16--4:30 PM\nMrs. Ford will host a party at the White House for\nchildren of the Diplomatic Corps based in Washington.\nEntertainment will be provided by Kukla, Fran & Ollie.\nDec. 17--9:00 PM\nThe President and Mrs. Ford will host a Christmas\nBall at the White House for members of Congress and\ntheir spouses. (Black-tie)\nDec. 18--2:00 PM\nMrs. Ford will attend the annual Christmas party at\nthe Hospital for Sick Children, 1731 Bunker Hill Road, NE.\nShe will help serve refreshments and will help Santa\ndistribute gifts to the children.\nDec. 19--7:00 PM\nThe President and Mrs. Ford will host a party for\nmembers of the press corps who regularly cover the\nWhite House.\n# # # # #\nFurther details will be furnished later.\nUP-086\nRB\nCORRESPONDENTS:\nA FEATURE ON PAST WHITE HO USE CHRISTMASES HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE\nNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. COPIES AVAILABLE FROM WIN BOOTH OR\nROBERT RADCLIFFE, 296-7500.\nUPI 12-08 02:01 PES\nA-2\nThe Washington Star Tuesday, December 16, 1975\nNames/Faces\nThey Got the Tree Up\nBetty Ford led a tour of the White House decorated\nfor Christmas and told reporters the President wants a\n$3.000 watch. She has decided. however. such a gift is\n(WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS)\nWASHINGTON (UPI)--FIRST LADY BETTY FORD UNVEILS THE WHITE HOUSE\nCHRISTMAS TREE DECORATED WITH 3,000 HANDCRAFTED ORNAMENTS S AT A\nPARTY THIS AFTERNOON FOR VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED WITH THE EARLY\nAMERICAN YULETIDE TRIMMINGS.\nTHE THEME SELECTED BY THE FIRST LADY THIS YEAR IS AN OLD FASHIONED\nCHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA WITH AN ACCENT ON ANTIQUE TOYS,\nCAROUSEL FIGURES AND DECORATIONS MADE FROM ACORNS, DRIED FRUITS,\nPEANUTS, STRAW PINE CONES AND GAILY COLORED SCRAPS OF FABRIC, YARN\nAND RIBBON.\nFOIL, SEQUINS AND GLITTER ARE OMITTED TO PRESERVE A TRADITIONAL,\nOLD-FASHIONED FEELING.\nMOST OF THE ORNAMENTS FOR THE TREE WERE MADE BY VOLUNTEERS FROM\nCOLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, BUT INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS\nNURSING HOMES, 4-H CLUBS AND GIRL SCOUT TROOPS FROM ACROSS THE\nCOUNTRY.\nDECORATIVE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN LIMITED TO THOSE ON THE CHRISTMAS\nTREE--TINY WHITE BEE LIGHTS.\nAPPROXIMATELY 150 GUESTS WERE INVITED FOR THE PUNCH AND COOKIES\nRECEPTION WHERE THE MAKING OF HANDICRAFTS ALSO WILL BE DEMONSTRATED\nUPI 12-15 02:22 PES\n19th Century Yule at the White House\nUnited Press International\nThe White House is\nPine boughs are twisted\ndecorated to resemble a\naround the marble col-\n19th Century American\numns to create a candy-\nfolk Christmas complete\ncane effect. Freshly cut\nwith wooden carousel ani-\nholly trees guard each\nmals.\nside of the exit.\nFirst Lady Betty Ford\nThe White House deco-\nborrowed antique toys,\nrations usually stay up\nuntil the weekend follow-\ning New Year's Day.\nVirginia Museum\nChief Resigns\nAssociated Press\nRICHMOND James\nM. Brown III, director of\nthe Virginia Museum of\nFine Arts has resigned\neffective Aug. 1, 1976.\nBrown, director of the\nmake File christmas 75\nThe Post 10/7/75\nENTERTAINMENT / MEDI\nIf Jobs and Plots and Openings\nBy Maxine Cheshire\nturned out fiction based on\nGreat Britain Walter\nJacqueline Kennedy's\nthemes, wants to design or-\nn acquaintance bumped\nAnnenberg now has another\nnaments this year that will\nRose Mary Woods walk-\nmarriage to Aristotle Onassis.\nvacation place to put at the\nfeature the photographic\nhone to her Watergate\ndisposal of his friends, the\nlikenesses of all the members\nrtment and expressed\nVIP\nRichard M. Nixons. In addi-\nof Congress\nFirst Ladv\n-0-\nWASHINGTON (UPI) THE WHITE HOUSE IS DECORATED TO RESEMBLE A\n19TH CENTURY AMERICAN FOLK CHRISTMAS COMPLETE WITH 3-5 FOOT TALL\nWOODEN CAROUSEL ANIMALS.\nFIRST LADY BETTY FORD BORROWED ANTIQUE TOYS, DECORATIONS AND\nPAINTINGS FROM THE ABBY ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER FOLK ART COLLECTION OF\nCOLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG. THEY ARE PLACED AMIDST THE USUAL WREATHS AND\nPOINTSETTA BOUQUETS THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC SECTION OF THE MANSION.\nONE OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS VISITORS SEE IS A SHOWCASE IN\nTHE EAST WING, WHERE WHITE HOUSE TREE ORNAMENTS AND HOLIDAY\nPHOTOGRAPHS FROM PRESIDENTS HERBERT HOOVER TO FORD ARE UNDER GLASS.\nIN THE EAST ROOM AN 18TH CENTURY ITALIAN CRECHE IS FRAMED BY TWO\nAROMATIC, UNADORNED PINES.\nAN 18-FOOT DOUGLAS FIR FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK IS IN THE BLUE ROOM,\nDECORATED WITH ABOUT 2, 000 HAND-MADE ORNAMENTS DONATED BY CHILDREN\nACROSS THE UNITED STATES. ANT IQUE TOY TRAINS, WAGONS AND DOLL CRADLES\nSURROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE TREE. NINETEENTH CENTURY CHILDRENS'\nPORTRAITS HAVE BEEN HUNG ON THE WALLS.\n-a-\nAssociated Press Wirephoto\nTHE FORDS\nBETTY'S JUST A HOME -SPUN GAL. First-lady Betty Ford stands before 18-foot\nChristmas tree at, official unveiling of the first family's Yule spruce at the White House yesterday. The\ntree, which stands in the Grand Entrance Hall, is bedecked with 2,000 homemade decorations, including\nyarn, cornhusks, gingerbread, pinecones, paper, lace and crochet angels. And what does Betty want most\nfor Christmas? \"Happiness,\" she said, \"and the family all together.\" The Fords again will spend\nChristmas, at the Vail, Colo., ski rescrt-the family's traditional Yule gathering spot.\n48\nC\nNew york Times 12/16/75\nTHE NEW YORK TIMES, TUE:\nNotes on People\n150 Tree Trimmers\nFeted by Mrs. Ford\n\"It has no tinsel-no se-\n\"honoring pure science where-\nquins,\" Betty Ford pointed\never it is found,\" are chosen\nout yesterday as she led a\nwithout regard of religion or\ntour of the White House\nnationality.\nChristmas tree and decora-\ntions, now open to public\nAt San Diego's Federal jail,\nviewing. To the 18-foot New\nJulian Bond, the Georgia\nYork-grown Douglas fir,\nstate senator, met with El-\ntopped by a cornhusk angel\ndridge Cleaver over the week-\nand hung with 2,000 home-\nend and said he would make\nNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY\nNEWS FEATURE\nWHITE HOUSE MEMORIES\nSPAN 175 CHRISTMASES\nWashington --\nVisitors to the Christmas White House\nmay miss seeing President and Mrs. Ford, who like to spend the holidays\nskiing, but the memories of many a Christmas past may linger on.\nTourists will see White House fireplaces crackling with cheery\nflames, yuletide floral decorations everywhere, and beyond the huge bay\nwindows the national Christmas tree, a sparkling tower in the distance.\nHistory provides these glimpses of 175 years of White\nHouse Christmases:\nJohn and Abigail Adams moved into the White House just in\ntime for Christmas in 1800, and then burned 20 cords of wood in the 13\nfireplaces in a vain attempt to ease the chill produced by the damp,\nnewly plastered walls. Guests shivered, stayed only briefly, and to\nMrs. Adams the first White House Christmas party was \"a frost\".\nEast Room Snowballs\nGERAL FORD LIBRANY\nFive years later the walls were dry, and a White House\nChristmas party was so merry Thomas Jefferson was moved to fiddle lively\ntunes on his violin.\nIn 1835 Andrew Jackson abandoned presidential decorum on\nChristmas morning long enough to defend himself against an attack from\nhis adopted son's children in a snowball fight with holiday cotton candy\nin the White House East Room.\nJust before Christmas, the President and the children delivered\npresents around Washington, including a box of snuff to Dolley Madison.\n14,970--RCR,R-W\n(MORE)\n12-2-75\nPREPARED AND ISSUED BY THE NEWS SERVICE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY\nWASHINGTON, D.C. 20036\nWHITE HOUSE CHRISTMASES (PAGE TWO)\nJackson had mentioned that Santa Claus had never visited him\nas a boy, so the youngsters hung up a stocking for him. Christmas\nmorning, tears filled Old Hickory's eyes as he found it stuffed with a\ncorncob pipe and tobacco.\nIn 1865, Abraham Lincoln welcomed hundreds of newly freed\nslaves to a Christmas season reception after he had found them outside\non the lawn silently watching the festivities through the windows. They\ntold him they had been hoping to shake the hand of \"Uncle Abraham.\"\nThe President's son, Tad Lincoln, in like fashion, once\nbrought home some street urchins to share Christmas dinner. Before the\ncook could shoo them away, the President intervened.\nRutherford B. Hayes and his wife reenacted their wedding as a\nWhite House holiday festivity to celebrate their anniversary.\nPresident's Santa, Too\nAt the same time, President Hayes ignored an unfestive view of\nhis contested election, a newspaper's ungracious comment: \"This will be\nthe first time a usurper has celebrated Christmas in the White House.\nBut Santa Claus descends the chimney alike on the just and the unjust.\"\nJames Buchanan was a bemused victim of one of the nation's\nearliest examples of over-zealous Christmas merchandising. Just down\nthe street from the White House of the childless bachelor was a store\nadvertising in its window \"The President Buys Toys For All His\nChildren Here!\"\nWho put up the first Christmas tree in the White House?\nSome say it was Franklin Pierce in 1856. Others believe it was Benjamin\nHarrison, who helped erect and trim a White House tree in 1889.\n(MORE)\nWHITE HOUSE CHRISTMASES (PAGE THREE)\nThe Christmas tree became a tradition at the White House until\nTheodore Roosevelt was elected President. An ardent conservationist,\nRoosevelt banned a White House tree in 1902, hoping to set an example\nthat might help the fight to save evergreens from widespread cutting.\nBut he was red-faced when he discovered his son Archie had\nsneaked a tree inside the White House and set it up in a big closet of\nhis room. Christmas morning, before seven, the Roosevelt children\nroused their parents out of bed, escorted them to the hidden tree, and\neveryone was given a present, including each of the many family pets.\nLighting the Tree\nCalvin Coolidge was the first president to preside over the\nlighting of a national Christmas tree, a gigantic spruce from his native\nVermont erected on the White House lawn in 1923.\nHerbert Hoover and his wife delighted in the singing of young\nvisiting carolers, and Mrs. Hoover would lead them on a parade through\nthe darkened White House, each child holding a lighted candle.\nJames K. Polk always received guests at the White House on\nChristmas Day, standing before a roaring fire, Mrs. Polk traditionally\nwearing a maroon dress. Equally festive, Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower customarily\nwore a holly red dress as she frolicked with her grandchildren.\nMost dramatic White House Christmases may have been the 11\npresided over by Franklin D. Roosevelt. He always gathered his large\nfamily together and then read Charles Dickens' \"A Christmas Carol,\"\nchanging his voice for each of the characters.\nRecalled one of his sons: \"Father was the meanest Scrooge\nyou ever heard.' \"\n#\nWHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS\nNORTH PORTICO\nThe hanging lantern is decorated with pine garlands.\nFour Douglas Fir trees decorated with small white lights flanking main\nentrance.\nGRAND FOYER\nTwo holly trees, one on either side of main entrance.\nOver the main entrance is an evergreen and apple arrangement in a fan effect.\nThe Grand staircase and pillars are draped with pine garlands.\nA kissing ball made of boxwood hangs over the Grand Staircase.\nThe mantel in the Grand Foyer is decorated with evergreen ;and apple arrange-\nments.\nA painted wood antique Santa Claus stands on landing of Grand Staircase.\nCROSS HALL\nTwo Douglas Fir trees in niches on south wall.\nAntique carousel figures (camel and giraffe) flank entrance to Blue Room.\nSTATE DINING ROOM\nNorth wall: Gingerbread house made by Hans Raffert (all edible except\nsmoke and windows).\nWest wall: Arrangement of evergreens and fruit--pineapples, pears, apples,\nlemons, limes, and oranges--on mantel.\nSouth wall: Plain green wreaths in windows.\nEast wall: Fruit trees made with tiny apples, lemons, limes, and lotus\nseed pods, interspersed with greenery on tables.\nDining Table: Smaller trees made with fruit.\nRED ROOM\nArrangements of verigated and green holly on tables.\nA cranberry tree stands on table near east wall.\nBLUE ROOM\nChristmas tree decorated with hand-made ornaments and lights stands in\ncenter of room surrounded by antique toys.\nTen paintings of children done by early-American artists hang on the walls.\nArrangements of evergreens and apples on tables.\nPlain evergreen wreaths in windows.\nGREEN ROOM\nArrangements of verigated and green holly\nBowl of pomegranates on table\nEAST ROOM\nMantels are decorated with arrangements of evergreens, including\nNoble Fir, magnolia leaves, etc., with centers of gilded magnolia\nleaves, lotus seed pods, okra pods, and pine cones.\nAn arrangement of evergreens stands on the piano.\nAn eighteenth century Italian creche stands on east wall flanked by\ntwo fir trees.\nBALCONIES\nThe State Floor balcony is decorated with wreaths of evergreens and apples\nand draped with pine garlands.\nThe Truman Balcony is draped with pine garlands.\nMAIN FLOOR\nAn antique horse carousel figure stands in the main floor hall.\nArrangements of poinsettas are placed throughout the House.\n\"A Children's Christmas\"\nDecorates The White House\nREPAID FORD LIDRARY\nTaking the tinsel out of Christmas, in favor of a\ntheme of \"tradition and heritage,\" was the task of\nflorists and others who helped decorate the White\nHouse for Christmas. The result was an old-fash-\nioned \"Children's Christmas.\"\nFirst Lady Betty Ford requested that hand-made\nornaments be used which had been sent to the\nWhite House during the past year. Under the direc-\ntion of White House chief floral designer Elmer\n\"Rusty\" Young, volunteers from the florist industry\njoined with Colonial Williamsburg consultants in\ndeveloping the decorations.\nThe florists were from the Allied Florists of\nGreater Washington, along with FTD Eastern Field\nSupervisor Bruce Sandin.\nFTD President Don Flowers presented Mrs. Ford\nwith a special Christmas/Bicentennial\narrangement for the First Family's private quart-\ners, with best wishes from the more than 14,500\nFTD Florists.\nThe arrangement was presented to Mrs. Ford at a\nreception she held on Dec. 15 for the florists who\nworked in the White House during the past year on\nvarious events including Christmas.\nFirst Lady Betty Ford greets FTD President Don Flowers at a\nreception for florist industry volunteers who helped decorate\nthe White House for Christmas and other special occasions this\nyear. Seen far right is Walter Charron, Nosegay Flower Shop,\nWashington, D.C.\n48\nFTD NEWS\nThis delicious-looking gingerbread house\ntopped a mantel draped with evergreens in\nthe State Dining Room.\nFlanking a mirror reflection of the tree are\narrangements featuring red apples and\ngreen magnolia leaves and pine boughs in\nfooted containers.\nBowls of colorful assorted fruit adorn this dining room in the\nWhite House, and also form mantelpiece and centerpieces.\nA close-up of tree ornaments reveals the old-fashioned\ncharacter of the decorations, which were handmade and sent to\nthe White House by citizen groups.\nHelping FTD Eastern Regional Field Supervisor Bruce Sandin\ndecorate the tree are these Members: (l-r) Eleanor Robertie,\nJohn Sharper Florist, Inc., Oxon Hill, Md.; Susan Mauck, Clark's\nFlowers, Silver Spring, Md.; and Betty Gardiner, Mason's\nFlowers, Inc., Wheaton, Md.\nAP Wirephoto\nBETTY FORD DISPLAYS THE WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE\n\"old-fashioned theme\" and handmade ornaments are featured this year.\nOld-Fashioned' Christmas\nlanned in White House\nBy FRANCES LEWINE\ntheme, , featuring patchwork quilts,\nWASHINGTON - (AP) --- First Lady\npatchwork tree ornaments and the odor of\nFord is emphasizing handmade\n50 spice-filled sachets.\nristmas ornaments, less-elaborate gifts\nEighty florists from 24 states came to\nfewer tree lights as economy\narrange poinsettias. in tree shapes, red-\neasures for this recession-time holiday.\nribboned wreaths in the windows, gara\nWilliamsburg To Lend A Hand\nWith White House Christmas\nBy TINA JEFFREY\nAlthough the handmade or-\nGarden Club members are ar-\nTODAY Staff Writer\nnaments were her idea, there\nranging dried flowers in tiny\nmust have been some input\nbaskets to hang from the limbs\nfrom the President on the\nof the Fords' tree.\nThe White House Christmas\nWhite House decorations,\nwill have a helping hand from\nbecause he was in Williams-\nA selection committee at\nWilliamsburg this year, and\nburg two years ago and saw\nthe Folk Art Collection will\narea residents for the past\nthe 1073 Christmas show at the\nmake final choice of items to\nFile - Christmas 75\nPrefice - notes\nWanted to share tree with you, even if\nyou have already seen it.\nAn old-fashioned Christmas tree\nAll volunteers - grea\n- Colonial Williamsburg\n- Nursing homes\n-4-H Club\n- Girl Scout Troops\nInexpensive\nThank ABBY ALDRICH\nROCKEFELLER ART COLLECTION\nat Colonial Williamsburg,\nUnder direction of BEATRIX\nRUMFORD\nInstruction sheet\nOrnaments you and Susan made\nQ\nEast Room - volunteers\nBERALD F FORD"
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