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Glimpse inside the White House Christmas Decorations and Celebrations through the Years

Busayo Ogunjimi
By Busayo Ogunjimi
Jan 10, 2021
03:00 A.M.

Christmas is a festival to anticipate and enjoy, for all people, and the White House does it in grand style every year with various Christmas celebrations and decorations.

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Since the nineteenth century, the Christmas festivities for the presidential family have been one to remember. It is no doubt a tradition to celebrate the season, and here's a peek into the recent years.

Dating back, not every first family went all out in grand style as this was totally dependent on the presence of children and grandchildren in the White house.

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Also, almost every administration had its peculiar contribution to the tradition. Photos of different setups for Christmas got kick-started by Samuel Coolidge, who was also the first President to host a public Christmas celebration in 1923.

In addition, the first known Christmas tree in the White House, which was placed upstairs in the Second Floor Oval Room, was set up during the Benjamin Harrison administration in 1889.

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Jackie Kennedy, First Lady to John. F. Kennedy also set the trend when she themed the White House Christmas tree in 1961, the "Nutcracker Suite," and many of its ornaments were an inspiration from Tchaikovsky's legendary ballet, "The Nutcracker."

Jackie's tradition went on after her death, as First Lady Nancy Reagan declared the 1987 celebrations "A Musical Christmas," and a decade later, First Lady Hillary Clinton revealed "Santa's Workshop."

Melania seems to have decided on a Christmas legacy.

As several reigns passed on, Christmas celebrations remained an important tradition as former President Barack Obama's dogs, Sunny and Bo, joined in as they recreated Christmas decors during his eight years as president.

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Outgoing President Donald Trump, who was elected in 2017, was not left out as his 2018 Christmas event, "American Treasures," was mind-blowing with Christmas decorations tagged "Be Best."

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His wife, the First Lady Melania Trump, picked up the ball after her husband got into office and themed her first Christmas "Time-Honored Traditions."

For the 2018 celebrations, the First Lady selected red pines to grace the White House while choosing a more traditional look for the 2019 festivities, using green pines for the Christmas tree.

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Melania decided on an Official White House Christmas Tree for 2020, and with handmade ornaments designed by students featuring the "Be Best" motto, the tree in the Blue Room looked like a work of love.

With the election of a new president and many more to come, the White House Christmas celebrations will continue to evolve with many wonderful new traditions being established every year.

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