WASHINGTON, Tuesday—First of all, I want to thank the many friends throughout the country, both known and unknown, who sent us telegrams and Christmas cards at this season. It will be impossible to thank all of them individually, so I want to tell them through this column how deeply both the President and I appreciate their kind thoughts and good wishes and how much they have added to the joy of the season.

In addition, I want to make a little explanation of our own custom so far as Christmas cards are concerned. On coming to Washington, we realized that it would be impossible to begin to send Christmas cards to all our friends and acquaintances. We decided, therefore, to send them only to members of the family and close personal friends.

When individuals are kind enough to write to say how deeply they would appreciate one of our Christmas cards, it seems ungracious not to send one, but, when you cannot do it for everybody, you have to make a rule. If you break it for one person, there is no reason why you should not break it for other people. Therefore, we send out no Christmas cards.

Now that Christmas is over, I agree with Miss Thompson, who remarked, as we were surveying the final preparation for the East Room Christmas party on Saturday afternoon: "How long it takes to prepare and how quickly everything comes to an end!" Christmas Day is over and now we can look forward only to birthdays until another year rolls around.

We had a movie last night taken from James Hilton's book: "We Are Not Alone." Paul Muni is very good in it, but I am afraid it left us all rather sad. I kept wishing that the little boy could tell someone what he had done so that he would not have to go through life without his father and Lennie.

The routine of life has started again. After a very short ride this morning, because I did not like the horse which I was trying out, Anna and I went to lunch with Mrs. Ickes, the wife of the Secretary of the Interior. I am always envious when I get out in the country, so I was glad today that it had not snowed, for I remember last year how beautiful it was with the snow on the ground and how difficult it was to tear myself away.

I particularly enjoyed the party today, but I had to come home soon after lunch was over, for the first of the children's parties takes place at four o'clock this afternoon and I wanted to be on hand to greet these youngest guests when they arrive. They will be shown a variety of movies, which I hope will appeal to them as much as they do to my husband. He loves the Mickey Mouse variety and always insists that they are particularly entertaining movies.