Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-18
HOW MRS. ROOSEVELT
DOES HER SHOPPING
Presidents Wife Reads fhe Newspapers tor News
of Novelties and Spreads Her Christmas
Buying Through the Year

fore most women have heard of their
existence. In fancy work I'm linen in
silk or worsteds she is an adept and
keeps abreast of the times as faithful
" as the manager of woman's in
dustrial exhibit. The thousand remem-
brances that go from the White House
as Christmas tokens include cards and
letters as well as gifts, OF the gifts
one-s.xth are made either by Mrs
Roosevelt or under her supervision
She has a French maid who is treas
ure at embroidery and drawn work.
Long before most householders have
decided anything. neat little packages
are dispatched from the White House
They so to all quarters of the globe,
and the postal authorities supply n
schedule of the time required for tram
sit to the most distant cline. Mrs.
Roosevelt wishes her gifts to arrive on
Christmas eve.
Gifts intended for those I'm Washing
tons official world go from the White
House on Christmas eve and are deltv-
cred by one OF the household servants.
Mrs. Roosevelt is most punctilious as
to the difference between things done in
the official and in the private invita-
tons, nor does she permit the great
seal which adorns the presidents mail
to be placed on the personal presents
they send jointly. President Roosevelt
does not follow the example of his
predecessors by sending gifts to his
cabinet advisers at Christmas. That
is. perhaps, because such a gift on his
part must call for corresponding
courteses from the officials, and sew
eral of them are far from being rich
men. Mrs. Roosevelt also refrains from
making special gifts to the women in
the cabinet families, possibly for the
same reason. Mrs. Mckinley used to
make worsted slippers for all the WOO
men in the cabinet families, and the
cabinet members received knitted silk
neckties. Mrs. Roosevelt gives each
bachelor member of the executive force
a necktie-not of her own make, how
ever She usually buys the latest and
most elegant design in. the haberdash-
cries for the single men on the force,
while the benedicts receive turkeys.
Sentiments Sent, Too
A pretty custom to which Mrs. Roose-
welt clings, in spite of her increasing
duties, is to write appropriate words
on the card that goes with each gift.
That of course is possible only because
she begins her work of getting her
gifts together from the first free days
of the new year. Ethel Roosevelt is
an aid to her mother Like her aunt,
Miss Carew. she is clever with a brush.
times a timely nonsense verse to the
gifts intended for children.
Mrs. Roosevelt has other customs
that might be followed profitably by
many Christmas shoppers. She never
has things sent home on approval and
she never has her purchases charged.
Her shopping trips never are made ex-
cept when she is prepared to buy.
Throughout Washington the clerks in
various shops are loud in her praise
because she is a rapid purchaser. She
loses neither her own time nor the
clerks in asking useless questions or
talking aimlessly about the quality, the
style or the price. She settles all those
points before going to buy. While
large percentage of shopkeepers know
the mistress of the White House well
not one OF them, save a shoe dealer,
can boast of ever waiting on the presi
dent He, with his wife, goes several
times year to a dealer in F street
to buy shoes. He buys those in stock
and is fitted easily, but all other neces-
saries, even Christmas gifts, he orders
through a representative or leaves it
to Mrs. Roosevelt.