2o0w6d0y's Journal

The strike could have been quite damaging to the...
The strike could have been quite damaging to the economy; it was settled with the intense and skillful involvement of Bruce LindseyI was happy that my fellow citizens could fly home for the holiday

Thanksgiving at Camp David became an annual tradition with our families and a few friendsWe always had our Thanksgiving meal in Laurel, the largest cabin on the grounds, with its big dining and conference room, a large open space with a fireplace and television, and a private office for meAnd we went by the dining hall to greet the navy and marine personnel and their families who kept the camp goingAt night we watched movies and bowledAnd at least once over the weekend, no matter how cold and rainy it was, Hillarys brothers, Roger, and I would play golf with whoever else was brave enough to go with usAmazingly, Dick Kelley always played, though he was already almost eighty in 1993

I loved every one of our Thanksgivings at Camp David, but the first one was special, because it was Mothers lastBy late November, her cancer had spread and contaminated her bloodstreamShe had to have blood transfusions every day just to stay aliveI didnt know how much longer she could last, but the transfusions made her look deceptively healthy and she was determined to live each day to the fullestShe enjoyed the football games on television, the meals, and visiting with the prada replica handbags young servicemen and -women at the Camp David barThe last thing she wanted to talk about was deathShe was too alive to dwell on it

On December 4, I went to California again, to hold an economic summit on the states continuing difficulties, and spoke to a large group of people in the entertainment community, at the headquarters of Creative Artists Agency, asking them to join me in a partnership to reduce the massive amount of violence the media directed at young people, as well as the cultures assault on family and workOver the next two weeks, I kept two of my commitments from the budget battle: I went to Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinskys district for the conference on entitlements, and I appointed Bob Kerrey as co-chair, along with Senator John Danforth of Missouri, of a commission to study Social Security and other entitlements

On December 15, I hailed the joint declaration of British prime minister John Major and Irish prime minister Albert Reynolds, which proposed a framework for the peaceful resolution of the Troubles in Northern IrelandIt was a wonderful Christmas present, one that I hoped would give me an opportunity to play a role in resolving a problem I had first become interested in as a student at OxfordOn the same day, I named an old friend from the McGovern days, John Holum, to head the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and used the occasion gucci silver bag to emphasize my nonproliferation agenda: ratification of the convention controlling chemical weapons, achieving a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, achieving permanent extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which expired in 1995, and fully funding the Nunn-Lugar program to secure and destroy Russian nuclear weapons and material

On December 20, I signed a bill that was especially important to Hillary and meThe National Child Protection Act provided for a national database that any child-care provider could use to check the background of any job applicantIt was the brainchild of the writer Andrew Vachss, in response to stories of children subject to awful abuse in child-care centersMost parents had to work, and therefore had to leave their preschool children in day careThey had a right to know their children would be safe and well cared for

The Christmas season gave Hillary and me the chance to see Chelsea perform twice: in The Nutcracker with the Washington Ballet Company, where she went for class every day after school, and in a Christmas skit at the church we had chosen, Foundry United Methodist, on Sixteenth Street, not far from the White HouseWe liked Foundrys pastor, Phil Wogaman, and the fact that the church included people of various races, cultures, incomes, and political affiliations, and openly welcomed gays

The classic chanel quilted bag White House is special at ChristmastimeEvery year a large Christmas tree is brought in for the oval Blue Room on the main floorIt is decorated, as are all the public rooms, according to the years themeHillary made American crafts the theme of our first ChristmasArtisans from around the country gave us Christmas ornaments and other works in glass, wood, and metalEvery Christmas, the State Dining Room has a huge gingerbread White House, which kids especially enjoy seeingIn 1993, about 150,000 people came through the White House during the holidays to see the decorations

We also got another big tree for the Yellow Oval Room on the residence floor, and filled it with ornaments Hillary and I had been collecting since our first Christmas togetherTraditionally, Chelsea and I put on most of the ornaments, following a practice we began as soon as she was old enoughBetween Thanksgiving and Christmas we hosted a large number of receptions and parties for Congress, the press, the Secret Service, the residence staff, the White House staff and cabinet, other administration officials and supporters from around the country, family, and friendsHillary and I would stand in line for hours, greeting people and taking pictures, as choirs and other musical groups from around the country performed throughout the houseIt was an exhausting but happy way to thank the people who discount tiffany's necklace made our work possible and our lives richer

Our first Christmas was especially important to me because I knew that, like our first Camp David Thanksgiving, it would almost certainly be our last one with MotherWe persuaded her and Dick to come spend a week with us, which she agreed to do when I promised Id take her home in time for her to get ready to go to Las Vegas for Barbra Streisands much-heralded New Years Eve concertBarbra really wanted her to come, and Mother was determined to goShe loved Barbra, and in her mind, Las Vegas was the closest thing shed seen to heaven on earthI didnt know what shed do if it turned out there was no gambling or fancy entertainment in the afterlife

While we were enjoying Christmas, Whitewater became an issue once moreFor the previous several weeks, the Washington Post and the New York Times had been chasing rumors that Jim McDougal might be indicted againIn 1990, he had been tried and acquitted on charges arising out of the failure of Madison GuarantyApparently, the Resolution Trust Corporation was looking into whether McDougal had made illegal campaign contributions to politicians, including meDuring the campaign, we had commissioned a report that proved we had lost money on the Whitewater investmentMy campaign contributions were a matter of public record, and neither Hillary nor I had ever borrowed any money from silver handbags Madis