Blue Room Christmas Tree
Gallery
-
This photograph by White House photographer Robert Knudsen shows President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in front of the Blue Room Christmas tree. This photograph was taken in 1961 before the extensive renovations initiated by the first lady.
Robert Knudsen, White House/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson posing by the Blue Room Christmas tree was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on December 13, 1966. For her third Christmas as first lady, Lady Bird Johnson decorated the tree with thousands of small traditional ornaments, including nuts, fruit, popcorn, dried seedpods, gingerbread cookies, and wood roses from Hawaii.
Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of the Nixon family posing for a portrait in front of 1971 Blue Room Christmas tree was taken by Oliver F. Atkins on December 24, 1971. This photo is among the family's favorite family portraits from their White House years. Pictured from left to right is Edward Cox, Tricia Nixon Cox, First Lady Pat Nixon, President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and David Eisenhower.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of the official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room was taken by National Geographic photographer Joseph H. Bailey on December 16, 1975. In 1975, First Lady Betty Ford selected the theme "An Old-Fashioned Christmas in America," also referred to as "A Williamsburg Children's Christmas" as the theme for the Christmas tree. Colonial Williamsburg staff and volunteers contributed a majority of the nearly 3,000 ornaments that decorated the Douglas fir, using materials such as dried flowers and fruit, acorns, pinecones, straw, and yarn. The Museum of American Folk Art lent the White House ten antique portraits of children to place on the walls of the Blue Room, as well as an assortment of old toys, dolls, cradles, a train, rocking horse, and a wagon to place around the base of the tree.
White House Historical Association -
This photograph shows the official White House Christmas tree positioned in the center of the Blue Room for the 1981 holiday season. This was the first Christmas that President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan celebrated in the White House. The tree featured ornaments lent by the Museum of American Folk Art. This photograph is part of a collection belonging to former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller. Haller served as executive chef at the White House from 1966-1987.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family -
This photograph was taken on December 9, 1991 during a press preview hosted by First Lady Barbara Bush of the White House holiday decorations. That year, Mrs. Bush's holiday theme drew inspiration from the a needlepoint creche created by the Saintly Stitchers, a needlepoint group of the St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. For her holiday decorations, over 1,300 needlepoint ornaments were created for the holiday decorations with patterns designed by White House Chief Floral Designer Nancy Clarke. Here, Mrs. Bush points towards ornaments based on the classic storybook characters "Raggedy Ann" and "Raggedy Andy," which she personally stitched for the Blue Room Christmas Tree.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton posing in front of the Blue Room Christmas tree was taken in December 2000. For her husband's final Christmas in office, Mrs. Clinton selected the nostalgic theme "Holiday Reflections" for the White House Christmas decorations. The Blue Room tree featured 900 of the Clintons' favorite ornaments from their past seven Christmases in the White House.
William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph shows First Lady Laura Bush next to the decorated Christmas tree in the Blue Room, answering questions from reporters about the 2005 holiday decorations.
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This official White House photograph, taken by Lawrence Jackson on December 6, 2009, shows President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama posing in front of the Official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room. For her first Christmas in the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama asked 60 local community groups from around the nation to "Reflect, Rejoice, Renew," and redecorate 800 ornaments from previous White House administrations. The ornaments paid tribute to favorite local landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson -
This photograph of the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room was taken by Matthew D'Agostino on November 30, 2020 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. The tree featured ornaments designed by schoolchildren from across the country. The holiday theme for 2020 was America the Beautiful, which celebrated the natural wonders of the American landscape. Selected by First Lady Melania Trump, the White House decorations also paid tribute to the courage and resilience of frontline workers, members of the military, and other American heroes. In 2020, American frontline and essential workers faced unique challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Matthew DAgostino for the White House Historical Association -
This photograph of the Blue Room Christmas tree was taken by David Wiegold on November 29, 2021 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. For their first year in the White House, President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden chose the theme, "Gifts from the Heart." The theme was meant to honor the things we cherish and bring us together despite the obstacles posed by a pandemic, time, and distance. The 2021 tree was an 18 1/2 foot Fraser fir hailing from Jefferson, North Carolina. It was grown by Rusty and Beau Estes of Peak Farms. The tree was adorned with peace doves bearing a ribbon with the names of the 50 states and territories to symbolize "Peace and Unity."
David Wiegold for the White House Historical Association -
This photograph of the Blue Room Christmas Tree was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The tree was an 18½ foot Fraser Fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina with decorations spanning across the country with merry landscapes, neighborhoods, and the names of every state, territory, and the District of Columbia represented. A replica of a vintage passenger train circled the base of the tree. The train set was loaned by the Train Collectors Association. Siblings Amber Scott and Alex Church of Cline Church Nursery presented the tree to Dr. Biden on November 20, 2023.
David Wiegold for the White House Historical Association
About this Gallery
In 1912, President William Howard Taft's children began a long tradition of placing a Christmas tree in the Blue Room on the State Floor of the White House. Yet, this tradition was not done consistently until First Lady Mamie Eisenhower featured a tree in the Blue Room throughout President Dwight Eisenhower's administration. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy famously continued this tradition by selecting a theme for the annual Blue Room Christmas tree, which has since made the tree a celebrated tradition in the White House.
