Evening star., 1945-12-24
Truman Opens
|YuIe Festivities
AT Tree Tonight
White House Grounds
Will Be Opened for
5 PM. Ceremony

President Truman was to lead
the Nation today in celebration
OF its first peacetime Christ
mas eve in four years by light
ing the national community
Christmas tree on the south
grounds of the White House at
S pm. and then broadcasting
his Yuletide message to the
people.
The Weather Bureau predicted q
white Christmas, with more snow
expected tonight. 1t will be supple
mented by sleet and freezing rain
before morning, the forecaster said.
Overcast skies and moderate tenn
peratures, reaching low of % de-
grees tonight. are predicted for the
next few days.
A seasonal low of 2 degrees below
zero was registered last night in
Rock Creek Forest, while the ther-
mometer fell to l degree below zero
at Broadside Manor, both in Mont
gomery County, Md, the Weather
Bureau reported.
Snow and Ice In Northeast.
Snow and ice covered most OF
the Northeastern part of the United
States and extended as far West
as Missouri, according to Associated
Press reports. Extreme cold has
moderated over most of this area,
reports said, but sleet and freezing
rain made holiday travel by auto
difficult and dangerous.
All radio networks will carry the
Presidents address, which will be-
gin at 5:16 pm.
Gates to the south grounds of
the White House will be opened to
the public at $3.50 pm. Secret serv-
ice men, as a safety measure, will
not admit any one carrying cam
eras, bundles or umbrellas.
The White House has been deco
rated this year in an unusually gay
and colorful manner. Two lockwood
trees just below the south portico
have been trimmed and lighted,
while two Norway spruces u feet
tall, growing on either side of the
front door on the Pennsylvania ave
nue. side, also have been Illuminated
and decorated.
Wreaths Hung.
Cedar wreaths have been hung in
the north windows of the mansion,
while greens and poinsettias deco
rate the downstairs rooms and
lobby.
President Trumans Christmas
gifts to the White House staff this
year include holly-decorated
Christmas card and an autographed,
illuminated scroll on which is print
ed the WI proclamation that
marked the coming Of peace again
after four wartime Christmases.
Early tomorrow morning the
President will board his personal
plane, a C-54 four -motored trans
port, and fly to his home In Inde-
pendence, Mo-, arriving there In
about four hours. .
There he will join Mrs. Truman
and their daughter, Margaret, who
left here for Missouri last Tuesday.
He will have Christmas dinner in
his own home and visit those of
his 93-year-old mother, Mrs. Martha
Truman, and his 96-year-old aunt,
Mrs. j. T. holland.
Expected to Eat One Dinner.
Charles G. Ross, presidential press
secretary, laughed off reports that
the President would eat three
Christmas dinners. Mr.. Truman, he
said, is light eater and will un-
doubtedly be satisfied with one,
merely sitting in at the others.
The Christmas tree celebration at
the White House this afternoon will
be in marked contrast to that of last
year when, to conserve electric pow-
er, there was no lighting. President
Roosevelt was not present last year
as the group at the White House
sang Christmas carols in a somber
wartime mood. The President ad-
dressed the Nation by radio from
Hyde Park, although as a security
measure newspapers and radios were
not permitted to say where he was.
Meanwhile, Washingtonians today
completed last-minute preparations
for Christmas. Thousands of homes
throughout the city were festooned
with wreaths, many of them il
Illuminated, while Christmas trees
were trimmed inside.
Stores generally remained open
throughout the city to accommodate
last-minute shoppers.
Both Federal and District en-
ployes were enjoying the third day
of their four-day holiday and thou
sands of Christmas eve parties were
scheduled for this evening in clubs,
churches and homes.
Virtually all churches planned
special Christmas services tomorrow.
Under the auspices of the WASH
ington Federation of Churches. spe-
cial community services are sched-
uled for II am. tomorrow at the
New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church.
u. S. Ship. Cut in Two