The White House has a rich history of decorating for Christmas.
From modest displays of simple wreaths and green boughs in the nineteenth century to the more colorful and elaborately adorned styles of recent Administrations, the People’s House has sported its fair share of holiday styles.
The first known Christmas tree in the White House was placed in a second floor room in 1889 during the Benjamin Harrison Administration, while electric lights were first used on a tree there in 1894, during Grover Cleveland’s presidency.
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The First Lady now typically organizes the White House Christmas decorations, along with choosing a theme for the decor—a tradition that dates back to Jacqueline Kennedy. Kennedy and other first ladies including Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama have since created festive displays celebrating different aspects of American culture and history.
Take a look back on some of the most memorable displays of holiday cheer at the White House, dating back to the early 20th century.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the U.S. through the Great Depression in the opening years of his four terms in office. A black-and-white photo captures a moment of celebration and light at the White House as F.D.R. was continuing to implement his New Deal policies in an effort to help the nation through the economic crisis.
President John F. Kennedy’s family spent two Christmases at the White House before his presidency and his life were cut short by his assassination in Dallas, Texas, in 1963.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy established the tradition of selecting a theme for the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room in 1961, her husband’s first year in office, modeling the tree decorations after “The Nutcracker” ballet.
President Kennedy was supposed to light the National Christmas Tree that year, following an older tradition established by Calvin Coolidge in 1923, but could not attend because his father had suffered a stroke.
The following year, he led the annual tree lighting ceremony.
“This has been a year of peril when the peace has been sorely threatened. But it has been a year when peril was faced and when reason ruled,” Kennedy said, against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War.
First Lady Nancy Reagan was charged with choosing the theme for White House’s official Christmas tree for eight years through President Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The 1987 holiday was marked with a “musical” tree, which was covered in miniature instruments and sheet music. The next year, 300 wood candles were carved by carpenters for her “old fashioned” tree, which reused ornaments from the years when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President.
For the Clintons’ first year in the White House in 1993, artisans from around the country created angel ornaments for the Blue Room tree in celebration of the year of American Craft designated under the previous President, George H. W. Bush, to honor the country’s artisans. Quilters from each of the 50 states hand-made the tree’s skirt, and over 1,000 artists contributed to the entire Christmas display.
The Clintons’ beloved First Cat, Socks, was also present to celebrate.
First Lady Laura Bush selected “A Season of Merriment and Melody” as the White House holiday theme in 2004, combining holiday music and traditional Christmas songs in the decorations.
White House staff designed vignettes that portrayed classic songs such as “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” More than 41 trees created a wintery scene on the State Floor.
The Obamas hosted eight White House Christmases during President Barack Obama’s two terms. During her first Christmas in the White House in 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama sought to include as many people as possible from around the country in the decorations. She asked 60 local community groups around the U.S. to “Reflect, Rejoice, Renew,” and help redecorate 800 ornaments from former Administrations. The ornaments commemorated local landmarks of the chosen communities, such as the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore.
First Lady Melania Trump’s decision to line the East colonnade with 40 red topiary trees in 2018, her husband’s second year in office, was controversial for straying from traditional Christmas decor. “Everybody has a different taste,” she said following the reveal of that year’s White House decor.
In later years, however, she has followed a more classic approach. This year, the White House Christmas theme is “Home Is Where The Heart Is.”
“The First Lady’s creative inspiration is drawn from the joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business,” a White House press release states. The decorations include a Lego portrait of President Donald Trump, 120 pounds of gingerbread, and more than 10,000 butterflies.
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