The Bush Family's First Presidential Christmas

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday December 26, 2001 04:43 PM EST

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President George W. Bush received several sweaters from First Lady Laura Bush for the family's first Christmas in office, reports The Washington Post. She also gifted the president with a commemorative plaque marking his meeting last month with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Bush family's ranch in Crawford, Tex. The actual day was spent at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., reports The Post, where those gathered included the president's parents, George and Barbara Bush, along with the First Lady's mother, Jenna Welch. The Bush twins received books from their parents, a White House spokesman told the newspaper. Barbara received one on fashion, while Jenna got "Still Alive: A Holocaust Girl Remembered," by Ruth Kluger. No word, though, on what the president -- who had spent Christmas Eve calling American troops on the front lines in Pakistan, the Arabian Sea and elsewhere -- gave his wife. For New Year's Day, Bush plans to fly to his Texas ranch, and is not expected to return to the White House until Jan. 7. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was named Time magazine's Person of the Year (and whose term expires at the end of this year), spent his Christmas at Midnight Mass and then went on to serve meals to workers at Ground Zero, reports the New York Post.