About the book: In the early days of Calvin Coolidge's presidency, a new White House tradition was born with the decorating of a "National Community Christmas Tree" in 1923. Since 1927, the annual lighting of the tree has also been accompanied by a presidential message. Those addresses, many of which are collected here, have provided an intriguing snapshot into the soul of two enduring institutions: The Christmas holiday and the American nation.
From the initial, decidedly brief messages that "Silent Cal" Coolidge presented at the end of the 1920s to those given by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the midst of World War II as well as Ronald Reagan's message expressing solidarity with the people of Poland, which charted the beginning of the end of the Cold Car, the Presidents of the United States have marked the time through these inspiring messages of hope and goodwill.
This collection of Christmas messages consists of at least one address from each president since Calvin Coolidge. Reading them, we can trace the history of the United States from the Roaring Twenties through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the brief eras of Camelot and Watergate, the oil crisis and the fall of Communism, eras of economic book and recession, and the aftereffects of terrorism. Through all of these historic events, the lasting message of Christmas shines bright: We look to Christmas to remind us of what we can be—what is possible when we unite in hope, faith, and forgiveness.
My review: I enjoyed looking through this book. I actually didn't realize there was a National Tree lighting or a message from the President every single year. It was really neat to look through this book and see what was happening in the world during each of the presidencies and see how their messages changed due to what was happening in the world. I also loved that there were pictures of the families and the Presidents messages and cards to his staff.
This is a fun little book to look through, I'm sure I'll look at it every Christmas!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Labels: Christmas book, Deseret Book, nonfiction
