Christmas at the White House
By Julia St. John
Christmas at the White House is a magical time of year. The First Lady spends weeks planning and deliberating on what the decorations will look like, the themes of each room, and who will be invited to receptions. It truly is a beautiful and elaborate process. Christmas is an age-old tradition, but where did some of these well-known traditions at the White House start? I decided to take a trip back in time to find out.
Snow isn’t always easy to come by in DC, but Andrew Jackson decided he would find a way to have his white Christmas anyway. Using specially crafted cotton balls, he decided to host an indoor snowball fight with his family and friends.
The official White House Christmas tree wasn’t always in the Blue Room. President Taft’s children started the tradition in 1912 when they surprised their parents with a decorated tree when they returned from their trip to Panama. This tradition continues to this day.
As a conservationist, Theodore Roosevelt was firmly against cutting down Christmas trees to decorate. Instead, the former President hosted a Christmas carnival at the White House for 500 lucky children. They enjoyed carnival rides, dinner, and ice-cream shaped like Santa. I have to admit— I’m kind of jealous. It is rumored that his son sneaked a Christmas tree into the White House the week of Christmas, which Roosevelt wasn’t pleased with, but nonetheless accepted in the spirit of Christmas.
In 1923, Calvin Coolidge decided to share the White House celebrations with the public. He was the first President to host the National Christmas Tree lighting for the American people. This way, everyone could participate in celebrating Christmas with the President. The yearly celebrations were later coined the ‘Pageant of Peace’ in 1954 to commemorate the conclusion of World War II and the Korean War.
The beautiful Jackie Kennedy was the First Lady who started the tradition of giving the national tree a theme. The first theme she chose was “Nutcracker Suite,” and it was so popular that two other First Ladies used the same theme during their Christmas celebrations.
If you are lucky enough to get to go on a White House Christmas tour, you won’t want to miss the Gingerbread (or white chocolate) White House that sits in front of the gilded pier mirror in the State Dining Room. This tradition started back in the 1960s and has continued ever since! Though the first house was a modest gingerbread cottage, White House executive chefs have gone to painstaking lengths to deliver some truly wonderful creations.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter lit the first National Menorah. This was the first time a President had ever recognized the Jewish Holiday and kicked off a tradition that lasts until this day. The first Menorah was tiny compared to the modern National Menorah, which is the largest in the world and more than 30 feet tall.
Mosts Presidents make sure to set some time aside during the holidays to spend with their families. Reagan and his family always made sure to spend Christmas on their ranch in California. LBJ would do the same, spending Christmas with his family in Texas. President Truman would stay at the White House until the Staff Christmas Eve party and then would head to Independence, Missouri, the same night. The McKinley’s and Wilson’s chose to skip the grand parties for Christmas and instead celebrated Christmas quietly and privately only with their families.
This year’s theme for the White House decorations is “America the Beautiful,” and our First Lady Melania Trump has put together a timeless and beautiful display. From your first steps inside, you are reminded of our American heroes with the Gold Star Family Tree. Ending in the Grand Foyer, guests are reminded of the true spirit of Christmas– love, joy, peace, and hope– the most important gifts this season.
Photo via @flotus
