The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-26

WneCner 10 stop at 1OUU Fe
 John and Abigail Adams, the first tenants of the Presidents Palace" brought no children to it, and Mrs. Adams felt that New England was much better place for the seat of the government. So, although she hung out the family washing in the solemn East Room, she hung out no stock ings for Santa Claus to fill.
 There have been many other childless Christmases in the White House, such as the dull period be- tween the Tylers and the Lincolns. But probably the two families which will go down in Santa Claus memory for a really riot ous season are the Theodore Roosevelts, when Kermit, Archie and Quentin put a pony in the elevator and introduced the first electrically lighted Christmas tree; and the current clan of Roose- velts, who from Franklin Delano the First to Franklin Delano the Third have invoked the spirit of Christmas with equal abandon. TAD LINCOLN'S INVASION
 The nearest thing to Roose- veltian good spirits in the early days was induced by Tad Lincoln who with his pets = had the full run of the mansion. Tad even went so far as to take goat to bed with him, and on one Christmas day, he invited a group of hungry urchins in from the street to feast upon the Presidents turkey in the White House kitchen.
 The stately mansion had never known any such invasion since the Christmas of 1886, when An drew Jackson threw open its doors to the orphans of Washington.
 It was "Old Hickory's" nephew, Johnny Donelson, who inspired the idea. Johnny, age 6, was spend- ing Christmas at the White House and he was worried lest Santa for got to come. Did you ever hear of a Christmas when Santa didn't come?" he asked President Jack son.
 "Yes, Johnny, I have" said
 the old soldier. "Once I knew a
 little boy who had never heard
 of Santa Claus, and this little
 boy never had top in his life.
 And when his mother died, he
 was left alone in the world ~. was that little boy.'
 This prompted the President to send out an invitation to all or phans to come next day for a Christmas party, and after he had distributed gifts with his own hands, he staged "snOwball" fight in the East Room, with snowballs of starched cotton. MRS. ROOSEVELT'S CANDLES
 When the Theodore Roosevelt's came to the White House, there was plenty of festivity, but no Christmas tree. The explanation given to the children was that a tree with candles was a fire hazard.
 But the next year, the Roose- welt boys led TR to closet, opened the door, and surprised him with a Christmas tree sparkling with elec- tric lights. They had conspired with the electrician and prepared the first electrically lighted tree in the White House.
 Today, there is always an elec- trically lighted tree in the East Room, for display purposes, but the intimate tree, in the second floor hall, used to be treated with a fireproof solution and lighted by candles. Mrs. Roosevelt insisted "A Christmas tree doesn't seem right without real candles. It must smell of hot evergreen"
 This year, however, she bowed
 to safety and consented to eIec-
 trify the tree on the second
 floor. The President told her
 that it was more sensible. The
 big tree downstairs was cut in
 northern Michigan and sent as a gift tO the ROosevelts by the
 Brady CCC Camp. It is 20 feet
 high.
 If Christmas spirit were regis tered on a thermometer, 1t would show a steady rise in the last IS years. The Coolidge boys were too old to go in for Santa Claus. and the gifts from the frugal President to the White House secretariat were recognized as hand-me-doWns which Cal had previously received himself.
 The Hoover Christmas was warmer, for the lugubrious Mfr.