Pearl Harbor Christmas
A World at War, December 1941
December 1941 was one of the most memorable holiday seasons in American history. As most Americans tried to celebrate a typical holiday season, the reality of the just-declared war was on everyone's mind. Although Christmas lights brightened America's winter landscape, anxiety and uncertainty hung in the cold air. The atmosphere at the White House was no different. As Roosevelt and his staff organized the usual Christmas festivities, the White House was abuzz with wartime activity. Just two weeks after Pearl Harbor, Churchill surprised Roosevelt with an unprecedented trip to America, arriving at the White House on December 22 to plan a new Allied strategy. With America now fully engaged in the already two-year-old war, the two world leaders would use this holiday visit to map out a winning strategy and forge one of the century's greatest alliances.
