Kate Enjoys Fairyland Evening at White House

Christmas is a-coming and the geese are getting fat - and so am I. All I want for Christmas is to be able to bend over again, be able to buckle my shoes, and not need a Caterpillar crane to raise me out of bed However, these presents aren't scheduled to arrive until after the New Year begins.
Christmas activity is in full swing at two of Washington's White Houses. One is the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue where Jimmy and Roslyn Carter live and the other White House (with its black shutters) is where John and Kate live.
The official start of the Christmas season began Dec. 12 when President and Mrs. Carter opened the doors of the White House for the Congressional Christmas Ball.
The holiday atmosphere was unlike any I had ever seen. Upon arriving, we were greeted with Christmas carols sung by the Marine Band, brilliant red carpets, huge poinsettias, and a glass of eggnog. Upstairs the decorations were even more magnificent. Huge wreaths with red bows hung in every window, green garlands were draped over all the archways and holly, poinsettias, and red candles were bountiful. They had truly decked the halls.
The President and Mrs. Carter formed a receiving line in the Blue Room. In the center of the room is the official White House Christmas tree.
The tree, a 20-foot Veitchii Fir grown in Garrison, N.Y., was decorated with more than 2,800 miniature Victorian toys from the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Rochester, N.Y. The late Mrs. Strong hoped to create a ''museum of fascination" with the things with which Victorian Americans surrounded themselves: ceramics, quilts, toys, and children's playthings. All the toys are 50 to 100 years old.
After receiving their guests, the Carters led the dancing in the East Room to the music of Peter Duchin's orchestra.
Following this fairyland evening I was brought quickly back to reality the next day when I fulfilled my motherly responsibility by selling milk and ice cream bars at Patrick's school cafeteria. Sincethen I have been busy readying things at the Cavanaugh White House for the approaching holiday.
Having small children around at Christmas time is especially nice. At our house each of them has a special task. Patrick is in charge of the countdown on the calendar, Colleen relays in precise detail the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and Maureen plays Christmas carols on the record player. Maureen is only two and not really the most logical choice for this task. However, the fact that she is two and that she thinks she should be playing the records is why she's doing it.
At this time of year I'm thankful for many things - my husband, my children, that I live in America - and when our baby's born he/she will be so young he won't care that I never bleached out the infant T-shirts stored in the attic.
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of 1979, which we hope will bring all of you much happiness, health, and prosperity, and in addition will bring us a healthy new baby. Do you think we'll have
a red-head?
December 28, 1978