Christmas Government Style
Dateline: 12/05/99
Though Congress has adjourned for it's long winter's nap, the US Government still manages to generate some pretty elegant Holiday cheer.
Christmas Pageant of Peace
Held annually in President's Park, Washington DC near the White House, the Christmas
Pageant of Peace runs from early December through early January of the new year. The
festival includes the lighting of the National Holiday Tree, guest performers, and
military bands. The first National Holiday Tree ceremony was celebrated in 1923.
The Capitol Holiday
Tree Cam
Tree Cam takes a
picture of the Capitol grounds west lawn where the National Holiday Tree stands. Since
it comes from Senator Tom Daschle's (South Dakota) web site, I'll bet Tree Cam is set up
in his office.
The Audubon Christmas Bird
Count
Coordinated through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, the National Audubon Society
sponsors the survey and publishes results. It is designed as a series of circular count
areas, and birders count birds within these "circles" each year on a specified
day around 25 December.
Our Nation's Christmas Tree
Unlike the "National" Christmas Tree that gets cut down and trucked to
the White House every year, the "Nation's" Christmas Tree stands exactly where
it sprouted -- at least 1500 years ago.
The General Grant Tree is a giant sequoia over 267' tall, 40' across its base and over 107' around. Estimates of its age range from 1500 to 2000 years old. The General Grant stands in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks near Three Rivers, CA.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271-9651
Telephone: Recorded information: (559) 565-3341, then press
- 1 for backcountry & stock use information
- 2 camping & lodging
- 3 cave tours & other naturalist activities
- 4 road, weather, & fire conditions
The
Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast
Remember the evening of December 24, 1968, when Commander Frank Borman, Command
Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television
broadcast from lunar orbit? They showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8
and Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just
what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking
turns reading from the book of Genesis.
William Anders:
"For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you".
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
Jim Lovell:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
Frank Borman:
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."
Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."
I remember that. It was great.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
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