This Week's Facts:
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Go Online to Find National
Christmas Tree History
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Tips for Taking Stress Out of
the Holidays
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Raise Awareness of Seasonal
Depression During Holidays
Follow
Easy Steps for Safe
Holiday Season
Many Hoosiers will be celebrating many holiday traditions with
family, friends, and co-workers. As festivities will be
abundant this season, the
Indiana Criminal Justice institute would like to
remind Hoosiers to celebrate safely and responsibly this holiday
season. Following some easy steps, drivers and passengers can
enjoy a safe and festive holiday season without harming others
sharing the road: Make a plan to arrive home safely before the
festivities begin; if you plan to drink, designate a sober
driver and give that person your keys; if you’re impaired, use a
taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public
transportation; and if you see a drunk driver on the road, call
911 immediately. Finally, if you know someone is about to drive
impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements
to get to where they’re going safely. Remember to enjoy the
spirit of the holidays, but enjoy them safely and responsibly so
that you can enjoy many holidays to come.
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Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
 
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Go Online to Find National
Christmas Tree History
 On
December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge participated in the
lighting of the first National Christmas tree, a 48-foot balsam
fir from Vermont. It was decorated by 2,500 electric bulbs in
red, white, and green, donated by the Electric League of
Washington. He started a tradition that has lasted for the past
87 years. You can see the history of national Christmas trees
and the lighting celebrations on the National Park Service’s
2010 Lighting of the National Christmas
Tree website. President Barack Obama’s
remarks from December 9th
as well as
photos and video of the
2010 event are available on the
White
House website. The White House blog also features
an entertaining
Behind-the-Scenes Look: Time-Lapse Of The
White House Christmas Tree with all of the
beautiful work involved in decorating the official White House
Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House.
Tips for Taking Stress Out of the
Holidays
 Don't
let stress over the holiday season bog you down. Get back to
spending quality time with your family and friends with these
guidelines from the
Federal Citizen Information Center
to lower your stress this holiday season:
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Traveling this winter?
Make sure your car
has had a recent inspection and can handle a long road trip
safely in inclement weather. If you're heading to the
airport,
check with TSA
so you understand the latest regulations and how they will
affect your travel time.
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It's
hard to get a full night of sleep, especially during the
busy holiday season. But, even getting a few extra minutes
can help improve your mood the next day. Sometimes one small
factor like lights or the sound of your furnace can affect
your sleep. If you aren't sleeping well,
find out why
and learn easy ways to get more rest.
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With so many good deals on the
internet, it's hard to know which sites you can trust for
buying your holiday presents.
Check out these tips
from the FBI on how to avoid the stress of scams and fraud
this holiday season.
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Don't let the winter weather
keep you down -- or make you sick.
Take simple steps
like choosing the right
over-the-counter medicines
for your symptoms and drinking lots of fluids, especially
ones with healthy vitamins.
Raise Awareness of Seasonal
Depression During Holidays
 Many
people across the country experience the ‘Winter Blues’.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of winter depression
that affects half a million people between September and April
each year, especially during the months of December, January,
and February. SAD is caused by a chemical imbalance due to the
shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter.
SAD can be a seriously disabling illness for many people,
preventing them from functioning normally without medical
treatment. Symptoms of SAD recur regularly each winter,
beginning in September and November until March or April. Some
symptoms include: oversleeping or disturbed sleep; feeling tired
& lethargic, overeating-craving carbohydrates & sweets;
depression; feeling irritable & avoiding social contact; tension
& inability to tolerate stress; loss of libido; and mood
changes. If you or someone you know is experiencing all or most
of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. With
treatment, the ‘Winter Blues’ can become manageable.
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