Evening star., 1935-12-22
CITY IN FURRY
/. PREPARING FOR
GAY CHRISTMAS
White House to Have Gath
ering of 4 Roosevelt
Generations.
COMMUNITY TREE
LIGHTING A FEATURE
Presidents Greeting to Nation
Will Be Broadcast-Many
Parties Planned.

The rustic of Christmas wrappings
and an air of expectancy and good
cheer filled the White House and
thousands of other Washington homes
yesterday. while shopping multitude
turned stores into a bedlam and
streets into packed masses Of hu-
manity.
The White House will be the scene
of a gathering of the Roosevelt clan
-four generations of the family-for
the festivities of the season.
There will be the Presidents
mother, Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt,
81: Mrs. James r. Roosevelt, widow
of the Presidents half brother; James
Roosevelt, oldest of the sons. and his
wife and their small daughter Sara;
the Presidents daughter, Mrs. Anna
Roosevelt Boettiger. with her chill
dren, "Sistie" and "Buzzie" Dali, and
her husband, John Boettiger, and the
Presidents two Harvard sons, Frank
lin, jr., and John. Elliott Roosevelt,
the second son Of the family, who
is living in Texas with his wife and
infant daughter, is not expected to
join the family reunion.
Parties Scheduled.
Plans already have been laid for
a busy Yuletide season. Mrs. Roose-
velt has five parties scheduled for
Tuesday. and the President has three.
AS is his custom, President Roose-
velt will gather his family about him
Christmas eve and read aloud Charles
Dickens "A Christmas Carol" A
film depicting the story will be shown
in the mansion Christmas night.
The public will have an opportunity
to gaze at all the Roosevelts when
the President lights the community
Christmas tree in Lafayette Park
across from the Executive Mansion
Christmas eve-and this year, as an
innovation, he also will start Christmas
chimes ringing. His message Of greet
ing to the Nation will be broadcast
throughout the land.
The presidential party will go to
the park at 5 pm. A large crowd
already will have assembled, since the
preliminary concert by the Marine
Band will begin at 4:30 pm. President
Roosevelt will throw the switch which
lights the tree at SOC o'clock.
Charity Party Event.
Early Tuesday morning, Mrs. Roose-
welt will hand out gay, cretonne-cov-
cred bags at charity party at the
Fox Theater. She and the President
will receive the White House Office
force in the executive Offices at IL
am. After lunch in the White House
proper. members of the household staff
and the police force, together with
their families, will share Christmas
tree with the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt in the stately east room.
Mrs. Roosevelt also will attend Sal
vation Army ceremony.
The presidential grandchildren will
get their presents Christmas morning,
but the adults will have to wait until
afternoon. There will be two trees
set up in the White House, the large
one in the east room, which the
public will be permitted to see after
Christmas, and another, the family
tree, in the east hall on the second
floor.
After the distribution Of the chill
dren'S presents Christmas morning,
President and Mrs. Roosevelt, with
other members of the family, will at
tend special services at some church,
not yet selected.
Grandchildren's Party.
Saturday afternoon, a party for the
Roosevelt grandchildren will be held
in the east room. A hundred or so
of their small friends have been in
vited. The usual New Year eve
party for the Roosevelt boys will not
be held.
President Roosevelt stayed in the
mansion proper yesterday instead of
goi g to his office, spending part of
his time wrapping presents for his
family and friends.
Gifts from all over the country
poured into the White House, includ-
ing foodstuffs in increasing volume.
AS in previous years, presents from
many persons unknown to the family,
as well as gifts from personal friends,
were included. The packages were
stored away to be opened Christmas
day.
Many of the gifts usually are little
homemade articles from well-wishers,
but occasionally elaborate and eXpen-
sive presents are sent by persons un-
acquainted with the President. PreSi-
cent and Mrs. Roosevelt have made
it a practice to return such expensive
gifts.
Plenty Of Christmas food was as
sured by gifts of deer, turkeys, pheas-
ants and ducks.
Although the President had all the
presents he will give purchased yes
terday, thousands of others were not
so fortunate. Even the low tempera-
lures and cold winds which prevailed
throughout the day were not sufficient
to keep shoppers of the streets, al
though storekeepers reported that the
weather seemed to have reduced some
what the size of the downtown crowds.
F Street Busiest.
r street between Tenth and Four
teenth was the busiest thoroughfare,
with Seventh street between z and G
q close second.
A special police detail kept vehicular
traffic moving smoothly. The Traffic
Bureau has entire charge of the down.
town traffic situation this Christmas.
the regular detail were
the A recruits of the Police School,
under command of their instructor,
Lieut.. w. H. Thomas. Lieut.. Walter
T. Storm was the TRAFFIC Bureau officer
in charge.
Twenty-four plainclothesmen were
on duty throughout the day in stores
to prevent shopflifting. which was re-
ported to be unusually light.
The real shopping rush began
around. o'clock. Novelty counters
attracted veritahle trafic jams of GUS
toners, and minor sccidents-crushed
1see CHRISTMAS, Page BAD