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Show NATION ENJOYS A RETURN TO REAL HOLIDAY CONDITIONS "WASHINGTON, Pec. 2 h With pra-o a do facto, if not a de jure, condition, the American people tonight began the celebration cele-bration of Chrisimas in nrcvar spirit. Fivid. noes of the nation-wide return to tiie- spirit that dominated prior to :1 1, when the war. although th-n con fined to Furopc, cast a refieei'on across 'lie A i -lantie, has b-en notfl in unprecedented buyi ng of gii'i s, accord mu- to reports. Christ mas mails one of the most ea t indications of nation:'! participation in the spirit of the holiday have been th--heaviest on record, it was said tonignt by postoffiro department off. rials. i President ViIson, ov. i.ic to his illness. : will spend tomorrow iuietiy, altlio-;u'i his 1 Caristmas eve was naikd by announei1- ment of ir.s deeision with regard to return ; of the railroads to private ownershb. JP-- j cause of Mr. Wilson's illness t bore will, he no Christma s tree. The ii:U nor oi I the White house tonight, however, was decora ted throuu'.iout in t 'hrist mas st ''b Mrs. Wilson 'naving supervised tho p'.ac-ing p'.ac-ing of evergreens, holly and ottier C'urt-mas C'urt-mas decorations. liestri'-rions on ti" 7irsider:t's dieMiave been removed and iie will eat hi.- Chri-t-mas dinner in ins room. Memiiers of the president's official family will spend tomorrow to-morrow at their homes, many family gat a- erings having been arranged. Vice Pres- i id'-nt and Mrs. Marshall went to Indian-j apoiis earlv in ti.e week, tccreiary and j Mrs. Lar.sinu' left today for Waiert own, N. V., and Secret a r- and Mrs. (Jlass are i to spend the day at their home at Lynch- I burg, A'a. ! Ail deoartinents (jf t he government closed at noon tod;.y until Fri-ir.v mom-j imr. to p-rnvit officiuis rud employees to j eniov I'r.o holiday. Officers and men of the nrmv. whether j in camps in this country, in I hi rope., in Sin.-i-ia or in the island possessions, h:-oi ; revived tonight the wishes f.-r a merry Ciiristmas sent nut by Secretary Faer. A Christmas dinner will be served in all camps and cantonments. Special preparations hi.ve hc-m mad--1 ft-r Christmas in the navy, the navy department depart-ment today predicting tnat us men. whether in home waters or in remote parts of the world, would have tee mer-rvst mer-rvst Christmas in the navy's history. Ship sunpiv officers, it was said, began earlier than usual to prepare for the occasion, oc-casion, so that every man is insured of a turkev dinner. Kntertainments have been arranged, many of tiiern for tonight. Naval radio stations tuday broadcast -ed the following message from Secretary Daniels: b'or the men of the army, navy and marine ma-rine corps convalescing in hospitals f.'om war wounds, most elaborate preoar-ations ha'e been made both bv Urn military authorities au-thorities and by grateful eitizens of the communities in which the institutions are located. |