President Bush brought his extended family together for a Christmas celebration at the chief executive's retreat at Camp David, Md., with gift exchanges and a traditional midday feast on the holiday agenda.
Gathered at the wooded compound in the Catoctin Mountains, located about 60 miles northwest of Washington, were the first couple's twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna; Mrs. Bush's mother, Jenna Welch; the president's sister, Doro Bush Koch, and her family; and the president's brother, Marvin, and his family.
The president gave his wife a silver tray and purse and she gave him a new coat and warming soles for cold weather mountain biking, said Sally McDonough, Mrs. Bush's press secretary. The Bushes gave their daughters some household items for their apartments, McDonough said.
The Christmas Day lunch menu called for roast turkey, cornbread dressing, green beans, sweet potato casserole, fruit salad, pumpkin and pecan pies and red velvet cake.
Bush planned to leave Camp David on Wednesday for his Texas ranch and was expected to return to Washington on New Year's Day.
On Jan. 8, the president is scheduled to begin a trip to the Middle East with stops in Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.