Jan. 1, 1963 - Efforts by the White House to discourage the public from sending gifts to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children, Caroline, 5, and John Jr., 2, are having little success. A White House spokesman said they received twice as many gifts and cards this Christmas as they did last year. However, very few of the gifts or cards were seen by either Mrs. Kennedy or the children. Any gift estimated to be worth more than $15 is returned to the sender. All others are sent to Washington Children’s Hospital, orphanages, or charitable institutions. Most of the gifts were portraits, books, records, and handmade clothing for Mrs. Kennedy, toy cars and stuffed animals for John Jr., and dolls and coloring books for Caroline. Only the portraits and personally inscribed books to Mrs. Kennedy were kept, a spokesman said. One of the few gifts the children saw was a gingerbread house decorated with assorted candies presented by German-American children in the Yorkville section of New York City. The gingerbread house, made by a New York restaurant, was sent directly to Palm Beach so the children could enjoy it.
