The Christmas Tree at the White House

The tradition of a placing a decorated tree in the White House began in 1889 on Christmas morning during the Presidency of Benjamin Harrison. The President"s grandchildren, young Benjamin and Mary McKee, led the Harrison household into the second floor Oval Room to take a look at the first White House Christmas tree, which was lit with candles. Filled stockings hung from the mantel, and presents, candy and nuts were distributed to family and staff. President Harrison gave turkeys and gloves to his employees, and he received a silver-dollar-shaped picture holder from his daughter, Mame Harrison McKee.

What began as a family gathering has become a national tradition. Over the years, the White House Christmas tree has reflected both the times and the tastes of the First Family. First Lady Frances Cleveland created a "technology savvy" tree in 1895 when she hung electric lights on the White House tree.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of Christmas Tree themes when she decorated the 1961 Christmas tree in toy trimmings from the Nutcracker Suite ballet by Tchaikovsky.

The official White House Christmas tree for 2014, which stands 18 feet tall in the Blue Room, honors the courageous service of the troops, veterans, and military families, who all serve our Nation every single day.

This year the theme of the White House Christmas tree is America the Brave.

The official White House Christmas tree comes to the White House from Crystal Springs Tree Farm in Leighton, Pennsylvania, and is trimmed with ornaments decorated by military children living on U.S. military bases all over the world. Many of the ornaments hanging on the tree are cards with thank you messages written by children to the troops.
-The White House  U.S. Department of Labor and http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/holidays-2014

Reclaim Your Weeknights!
Quick! It's 5 p.m. - where are you? For many Americans, it's working. According to one study, worker productivity has increased 60 percent in the past 20 years. All those extra hours mean less time to focus on family, friends, or even relaxing on the couch. Here are a few ideas to reclaim your right to a little relaxation.

Turn on Your Mono-Tasking Mode: There are a lot of distractions at night: your phone, the TV, your computer, or the iPad. When 6 p.m. rolls around, choose to focus on one activity. That alone will help to ease the craziness of the day and promote relaxation.

Plan Your Meals: Our willpower dwindles as the day comes to an end, which affects your energy and your ability to make decisions - especially when it comes to food. Combat your temptations with planned meals for each night. Take your meal planning habits a step further and cook them the night before or even more daring - cook them all on Sunday night.

Create a Grocery Shopping Schedule: Planning meals only works if you plan ingredients. Create a grocery list and choose one night a week to do all of your shopping. Is the grocery store insane on Sunday night? Try going on a different night. Large grocery chains tend to restock after the mad mid-evening rush. If you find yourself always hunting down that last toilet paper roll or realizing you're out of cat food, set up automatic weekly deliveries of your "usual"ÂÂÂÂÂ� products from Amazon (you might also get a discount!)

Time-block for Social Media: We've all been there: one minute it's 8:00 p.m. the next it's 9:30 and you're scrolling through the photos of your college friend's husband! It sounds crazy to put a timer on your social media consumption, but the more you do it, the more you'll realize you enjoy spending time with friends and family in the flesh rather than through the screen.

Drink Tea: Set yourself up for successful sleep with tea. Choose an herbal blend that promotes relaxation and calmness. But don't drink too close to bedtime or you'll be making trips to the bathroom throughout the night.

Get in Bed: Someone once said, "you can't go to sleep if your eyes aren't shut." In our always-on world, it's so easy to want to make sure we don't miss a minute. The truth is, we miss more when we don't set aside time to recharge our minds and our bodies. In fact, a recent study discovered that sleep actually removes toxins from our brains!

 

Extreme Cold: Tips to Stay Warm, Safe, and Healthy
When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can become a challenge. Extremely cold temperatures often accompany a winter storm, so you may have to cope with power failures and icy roads. Although staying indoors as much as possible can help reduce the risk of car crashes and falls on the ice, you may also face indoor hazards. Taking preventive action is your best defense against having to deal with extreme cold-weather conditions. By preparing your home and car in advance for winter emergencies, and by observing safety precautions during times of extremely cold weather, you can reduce the risk of weather-related health problems. Here are some important extreme cold preventative tips.

Keep several days supply of these items: Food that needs no cooking or refrigeration, such as bread, crackers, cereal, canned foods, and dried fruits.  Remember baby food and formula if you have young children.  Water stored in clean containers, or purchased bottled water (5 gallons per person) in case your water pipes freeze and rupture.  Medicines that any family member may need. If your area is prone to long periods of cold temperatures, or if your home is isolated, stock additional amounts of food, water, and medicine.

Inspect Your Heat Sources: If you plan to use a fireplace or wood stove for emergency heating, have your chimney or flue inspected each year. Ask your local fire department to recommend an inspector, or find one in the yellow pages of your telephone directory under chimney cleaning.

Keep a Temperature Check: Your ability to feel a change in temperature decreases with age, and older people are more susceptible to health problems caused by cold. If you are over 65 years old, or are taking care of someone who is, place an easy-to-read thermometer in an indoor location where you will both see it frequently.

Maintain Fluid Faucets: Insulate any water lines that run along exterior walls so your water supply will be less likely to freeze. To the extent that is possible, weatherproof your home by adding weatherstripping, insulation, insulated doors, and storm windows, or thermal-pane windows.

Protect Your Pets: If you have pets, bring them indoors. If you cannot bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure that they have access to unfrozen water.