Evening star., 1933-12-22
BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.

BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.
Besides the joy Of having his family
gathered about him for Christmas, Pres
ident Roosevelt has every reason to feel
gratif1ed at the evidence Of affection
and love on the part Of people through
out the country.
This latter has been manifest in the
record-breaking number of testimonials
OF good cheer which are arriving at the
White House in tremendous quantities
each day
Never before in the history of any
President, according to the records of
the White House, have so many mes
SageS and other remembranceS Of the
Yuletfde and the coming New Year
been received. A check-up on this to-
day revealed that within the past 10
days kilograms, greeting cards, letters
and packages have averaged $4,000
daily. So enormous has been the task
Of handling this daily food that it has
been necessary to take over two rooms
OF the State, War Building across the
street from the executive Office, where
several clerks are busily engaged day
and night handling the overflow of
Roosevelt remembranceS. Besides that.
there Is in addition to the regular mail
room temporary mail-opening quar-
ters in the so-called janitor's room in
the basement, where three employees are
kept at work night and day opening
packages.
Greetings Predominate.
Ira Smith, who has been chief mail
clerk at the White House for many
years, said today that of the 25, 900
kilograms, cards, letters, packages. etc,
being received daily about 1000 might
be classified as the regular run of
presidential mail. The rest is the re-
suit Of the Christmas and New Year
season. He said also the President is
receiving about 10 times the usual
amount Of gifts sent to the occupant
OF the White House. 1t is interesting
to note also that the gifts, while con-
siderably more numerous, are of a
smaller and less expensive nature than
those usually received by a President.
Many of the gifts are in the form
OF inexpensive trinkets, articles of
wearing apparel, candy, foodstuffS, and
books-merely tokens of good will and
affection.
The President himself, while he has
soIee idea of the great increase in the
White House mail, has no idea of the
great number of presents his admirers
about the country have sent to him
with the hope of contributing to his
happiness on Christmas day He has
seen none of the presents and will not
until Christmas morning. The Presi-
dents personal presents already fill
three huge laundry hampers, probably
Will fill more before the great day
arrives These hampers will be rolled
into the Presidents bed room when he
awakens on Christmas morning and he
VII! then personally open the packages,
with members of the family grouped
about him.
VIII Worship First.
The distribution of family presents
will not take place until they return
from church services during Christmas
forenoon, when the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt, with Mrs. James Roosevelt.
the Presidents mother and the Roose-
velt children and little grandchildren,
tree at the east end of the hallway on
the second floor of the White House
At the Christmas dinner, which will
be featured with q huge turkey gob-
bier; b there will be only the members
Welt, the Presidents eldest son, and
Ellott, tnc PreSldents second son, will
not be able to come to Washington for
the holidays. In addition to the i'm
mediate presidential family there will
a be Mrs; Rora 1 D: Forbes of Paris: an
house guest during the holidays.
President Roosevelt will begin his
Christmas activities this afternoon
when at 800 o'clock he will receive his
secretariat,. and all the members of
the executive staff and his so-called
social staff of the White House in his
office on which occasion he will wish
each a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year and will present to each a
book appropriately inscribed by him
personally.
On Sunday afternoon the President
and Mrs. Roosevelt will receive the
members of the White House police
force and their wives and children as
well as the employees of the White
House garage and the members of their
families, and later will receive the
White House servants and members of
their families. At 5 o'clock Sunday
afternoon the President and Mrs. Roose-
velt will go from the White House to
the Community Christmas tree in
Sherman Square, there the President
will press a button Illuminating the
living trees decorations, after which he
will speak briefly into a microphone
wishing the people throughout the
country merry Christmas and a happy
New Year.
Later that same evening the presi-
Dental family will gather in the Presi-
dents study on the second floor and,
seated in his large easy chair in front
of an open fire will follow an old
family custom of reading aloud Charles
Dickens Christmas Carol" Later Mrs.
Roosevelt, with the assistance of Mrs.
Anna Curtis Dali, the only daughter of
President and Mrs. Roosevelt, and
others of the household will trim the
family tree and place the family pres
ents in piles about the tree.
Christmas Trees Placed.
The White House yesterday took on
its frst aspect Of the season when the
Christmas trees were placed on the