From the Kennedys to present day, here's a look back at some memorable White House holiday displays.
Looking back at White House holiday decorations through the years
Sadly, this would be President John F. Kennedy’s final Christmas before his assassination in November 1963. For this year, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy decided to make the Christmas tree children’s themed. According to WhiteHouseHistory.org, many of the ornaments on the tree were reused from the Kennedys' previous year when the decorations were based on Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.”
First Lady Betty Ford stands in front of the White House Christmas tree in 1974. That year, the tree was shipped from Ford’s home state of Michigan and decorated with ornaments handcrafted by children according to MLive.
First Lady Rosalyn Carter poses near a White House Nativity scene. In addition to the nativity scene, the Carters also decorated the White House tree with borrowed Victorian dolls and antique miniature furniture from the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum according to WhiteHouseHistory.org.
First Lady Nancy Reagan stands in front of the East Room tree in 1983. That year, the tree housed in the Oval Office featured decorations made by Second Genesis, a D.C., Maryland and Virginia-based drug treatment program, alongside toys from the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum according to WhiteHouseHistory.org. Second Genesis would contribute ornaments for many other Christmas trees during the Reagan administration.
The Clintons’ 1997 Christmas tree, according to Getty, was a tribute to Santa’s toyshop and featured decorations from the National Needlework Association, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and artisan glassmakers.
The 2007 White House Christmas theme was “Holiday in the National Parks.” To honor our nation’s national parks, “artists decorated 391 ornaments representing national parks, memorials, seashores, historic sites, and monuments across the country,” WhiteHouseHistory.org notes.
The theme for the Bushs’ final Christmas was “A Red, White and Blue Christmas.” Among the decor was an ornament featuring a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, and an ornament with a painting of Santa Claus on his sleigh.
WhiteHouseHistory.org notes that the Obamas’ 2010 Blue Room tree was themed, “Gift of the American Spirit,” and was decorated with award ribbons from state and county fairs nationwide.
In 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama selected the theme “Shine, Give, Share” for the White House Christmas decorations. Nestled within the 18 ½ foot official tree were the medals of military servicemen and women alongside cards created by military children, Getty reports.
A photo of the 18-foot official White House Christmas tree that was decorated to reflect the Trumps' 2018 theme “American Treasures,” with tributes to all of the country’s states and territories, according to WhiteHouse.gov.
The 2019 White House Christmas theme was “The Spirit of America,” and this tree, housed in the Blue Room, is yet another testament to the colorful nature of the United States of America. “Blossoming with handmade paper flowers, the décor on the Blue Room tree pays homage to the distinctive floral emblem of every state and territory,” WhiteHouse.gov says. First Lady Melania Trump described the inspiration for the decor scheme, as an homage to, “those who have shaped our country and made it the place we are proud to call home.”
