 Nonetheless, President Roosevelt continued to give a national radio address on what would have been the date of the tree lighting ceremony during these three years.Ornaments for the 1942 tree were donated by local D.C. schoolchildren, and limited to the colors red, white, and blue.With the president and his family spending Christmas of 1943 at the family home of Springwood in Hyde Park, New York, and with concern that the tree ceremony might worsen the transportation overcrowding situation in the city, the decision was made to cancel the National Community Christmas Tree decoration altogether.