Throughout December, the National Archives will present free public programs at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC and at its Presidential Libraries nationwide.
Programs this month include concert series and tree-lighting ceremonies, as well as a continuation of the Ask an Archivist, Converse with a Curator program.
Table of Contents
(In person) Tree-Lighting Ceremony
Monday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m. CT
George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
Register to attend in person
Join The National Archives as they light the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center’s Community Christmas Tree! Modelled after the tree-lighting ceremony that takes place annually on the White House grounds, the ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. and will include musical entertainment and a special guest tree lighter. The ceremony will take place outside, and a reception will follow inside.
(In person) Pearl Harbor Day Film Screening: TORA! TORA! TORA! (1970)
Thursday, December 7, at 2 p.m. ET
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
Register to attend in person
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum presents a Pearl Harbor Day film screening of the 1970 Academy Award–winning film TORA! TORA! TORA! in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Library.
(In person) Holiday Open House Events: Decorations, Children’s Reading Festival, Cards for Sailors, Santa, and Refreshments
Saturday, December 9, at 9 a.m. ET
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
The annual Holiday Open House will take place at the Roosevelt Library and the Home of FDR National Historic Site. Both the Home and the Roosevelt Library study will be decorated for the holidays as they were during the Roosevelt Presidency. The annual Children’s Reading Festival will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Library, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on December 9. Children’s book authors will read from and sign copies of their books. Featured books will be available for purchase. In addition, there will be live music, photos with Santa, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and holiday card-making for sailors on the USS Roosevelt beginning at noon. Refreshments will be served in the visitor center throughout the afternoon.
(In person) 2023 Holidays in the Rotunda
Saturday, December 9, at 10 a.m. CT
George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
Register to attend in person
This free event takes place in front of the museum’s magnificently decorated Christmas tree in the Rotunda. Live holiday entertainment, along with ornament-making in Santa’s Workshop, will get participants in the Yuletide spirit. Santa Claus will be there to hear your children’s wish lists and cookies, hot chocolate, and punch will be served.
(In person) The Kay R. Pace School of the Arts Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 9, at 11 a.m. ET
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
Open to the public
Get into the holiday spirit as the Kay R. Pace School of the Arts Choir presents songs of the holidays. This choir will have you singing and dancing all day long!
(In person) Seeking Truth in an AI World: Surviving Deepfakes Deception, and Discrimination
Tuesday, December 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT
Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, Austin, TX
Register to attend in person
How can people, companies, schools, and governments navigate what is true and what is false in a world with artificial intelligence able to create deepfakes—fake articles, schoolwork, or even military intelligence—and discriminate in the process?
Confirmed speakers include: Chelsea Collier, founder of Digi.City, editor-at-large for Smart Cities Connect, and research assistant for Good Systems, and Doreen Lorenzo, assistant dean, School of Design and Creative Technologies, The University of Texas at Austin. Moderated by Craig Watkins, Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor and the executive director of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.
(In person) Ask an Archivist, Converse with a Curator
Friday, December 15, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT
William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, Little Rock, AR
Open to the public
“Presents for the President: Happy Holidays, President Clinton!” The President gets Christmas and holiday gifts just like all the rest of us. While some may want to give him a lump of coal, others send along heartfelt gifts of the season. The Clinton Library and Museum holds the program “Ask an Archivist, Converse with a Curator” on the third Friday of every month at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Image Source:
- Photo by Cris DiNoto: instant images
