Evening star., 1959-12-20

MRS. EISENHOWER
hoStesSes it is the essence
of the Christmas spirit it
self that figured most
prominently in their mem
orleS.
In recent years. Mrs.
Nixon and the children,
Patricia and Julie, have
packed a box of toys and
gifts to send to a local or
phanage or needy family.
Mrs. Nixon wishes to teach
the girls that the real joy
in Christmas is in giving"
This includes not only the
gifts but the thought put
into their wrapping. Some
times the girls even con-
tribute some toys of their
own that are still in good
condition but which they
have outgrown.
In our family, Christmas
has always been for the
children" says MRS. EARL
WARREN, wife of the Chief
Justice of the United States.
We've been married for 33
years. After our second
Christmas, we decided to dis
pense with the adults ex-
changing gifts and concen-
trate on our children and
other peoples children. q.
1T was always our custom
to get the children individual
Christmas trees to match
their heights every year. an
event they always looked for
ward to with great excite
ment. When we were in Oak
land, we always gave a party
too for the children's friends,
the neighbors' children, nieces
and nephews-and the par
entS. We sometimes had as
many as $50. The Shriners
Clown band would come
around to entertain, and we
always had so much fun"
For MRS. MORRIS CA
FRITZ, one of the Capitals
leading hoStesSes, it was the
Christmas after they moved
into their Foxhall Village
home, the year before Con-
rad, the youngest Of their
three sons, was born.
1T was wonderful having a
tree in my own house." re-
calls the inipitable Gwen.
I'VE had a large sloping lawn
in front of the house. My
husband went way down to
the bottom of the hill and
came trudging back dressed
as Santa Claus with a large
sack of presents on his back
The children Calvin and
Carter were so cute. 1t really
was way out of this world.
Instead of coming down the
chimney, Santa came through
the front door. When he
laughed, the children said,
He sounds like Daddy! He
is Daddy!' Then he handed
us all our presents including
my star sapphire which I've
always worn.
1T was a really wonderful
Christmas to remember
seeing Santa coming up the
hill getting bigger and bigger,
the children SO excited, and
me playing Silent Night
Conrad missed it, but, of
course, he wasn't there"
For another Capital host
esS, MRS. PERLE MESTA, it
was the Christmas her grand
nieces remembered her with
gifts money can't buy
presents which employed
their own ingenuity. Last
year, Mrs. Mesta had her
niece, Mrs. Louis Ellis, and
her three children over for
dinner.
The 10-year-old gave me
an embroidered pincushion
she made with her own little
hands, the 6-year-old a
funny little Christmas jingle
she had composed, and the
312-year-old a paper Santa
she had cut out of a maga-
zine. 1t was one of the
cuteSt things that ever hap
pened to mel" said Mrs.
MeSta.
For MRS. WILEY BU-
CHAN, wife of the Chief of
Protocol, it was the only
Christmas the family spent
away from home she remem-
berS best because it was so
unusual"
Mr.. Buchanan was serving
as United States Ambassador
to Luxembourg, a country
with Christmas traditions
different from our own. II
was determined to have
Christmas our way" recalls
Mrs. Buchanan so that
included a huge lighted tree
outside the Embassy. 1t
wasn't until later that l
learned we'd upset everyone
in the nelghborhood, because
of the shortage of electricity.
Then the night before
Christmas we discovered
there wasn't a fireplace in
the embassy from which the
children could hang their
stockings. We almost had a