Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-13
old Christmas Tree
Ornaments Sought
By White House
District School Children
Asked to Contribute;
Tree to Go LightIess

Any old Christmas tree decora-
tions around the house?
The older the better, says the
White House. which has instituted
new type of salvage tbs Christ
mas. No electricity is going to be
used for lights on the National
Community Christmas tree on the
White House lawn. and no new Or
naments are going to be purchased
TO hang on the branches.
Instead, the White House has au-
thoriZed the District Recreation
Department to collect old Christ
mas tree ornaments from District
school children. The ornaments COL
lected from school Fairgrounds on
Saturday will be combined with the
$50 ornaments left over from last
year and hung on the tree Deem
Der %. To make up for the lack of
lights, all colors of ornaments will be
used instead Of the usual color
scheme OF silver, green and red.
American-Made Are Better.
The recreation department knows
exactly what type of ornament it
wants, according to Harold Snyder.
recreation technician who has for
years superintendent the actual dec
Grafton of the tree.
Large. ball-type ornaments are
the best" he said. And American
made ornaments are better because
they are thicker and have stronger
hooks"
Recreation Supt. Milo F. Chris
Hansen met with his playground
area directors yesterday and will
meet with them again tomorrow
to plan collection of the ornaments
on Saturday for sorting by the fol-
lowing Monday noon. The recrea-
ton department expects to report
on the progress of the ornament
campaign at 1890 pm. December
81 at the final meeting of the Com
munity Christmas Tree Committee
at the Taft House.
Il think it is a splendid idea to
have the children make the con-
tributions to the tree" said Mr..
Christensen. After all, Christmas
. is their holiday and it will help
them feel national Christmas spirit
if we make it as easy as possible
for them 70 give their ornaments"
| Collection Saturday.
Playground employees will publicize
/ the need for ornaments all through
the week he said The only COL
lection will be made in National
Capital Park trucks on Saturday
morning.
Absolutely no ornaments are to
| be purchased for the tree" the
White House announced yesterday.
Each ornament must have been
used in previous year." explained
Miss Sybil Baker chairman of the
Executive Committee for the tree.
The whole idea Is not to buy any
thing new but instead to use what
the children already have" Each
child is expected to bring in only
one ball-type ornament.
The only previous participation of
children in the 22-year -old cere-
mony of the national community
Christmas tree has been the annual
selection of Boy and Girl Scout to
bring greetings to the President and
his wife. Two or three times groups
OF youthful choristers have been
| chosen to sing carols but usually
the choir is made up of older people
A Boy and Girl Scout will be chosen
again to greet the President and
Mrs. Roosevelt this year
No Reserved Parking.
Starting with "Sistie and B'lzzie
Dali when President Roosevelt first
came into Office, Roosevelt grand
children have always delighted spec
tators at the ceremony. This year
the two sons of 1t. and Mrs. Frank
lin D. Roosevelt. jr. will be on the
south portico with the President, as
will Diana Hopkins, daughter OF
Harry Hopkins.
Electricity and tree ornaments will
not be the only things conserved at
the annual ceremony, according to
Police Inspector Arthur E. Miller
The flock of special parking permits
usually sent out to dignitaries will
be sharply curtailed this year and
there will be no reserved parking for
Christmas around the Elipse anc
the White House.
I'VE are asking the specially in
vited guests as well as the general
public to come on foot or in public
vehicle said Inspector Miller. 1--WE