Decorating The White House
The White House has undergone a significant number of changes since President John Adams first called the Executive Mansion home.
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The White House has undergone a significant number of changes since President John Adams first called the Executive Mansion home.
On February 9, 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama announced a nationwide campaign called Let’s Move! to mobilize public and private sector resources to reach the goal to confront and resolve the challenge of childhood obesity. In support of Let’s Move!, The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and Kids’ State Dinner invites a parent or guardian to work with their child ages 8-12 to cre
On October 30, 1958, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower hosted a lunch for White House staff member's wives. To prepare, she adorned the State Dining Room with seasonally appropriate decor, featuring skeletons on the wall, pumpkins, cornstalks, and miniature witches with broomsticks on each table. Since then, the White House has experienced over 50 years of Halloween celebrations and traditions, with each administration bringing
The White House Historical Association joins the nation in remembrance of First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Mrs. Carter maintained an active role in the White House, attending cabinet meetings and briefings, representing her husband at ceremonial occasions, and serving as the president's personal emissary to Latin-American countries. She also created the Office of the First Lady in 1977, which has since served
The White House and its residence share the holiday cheer felt by all of the country this time of year. Since 1961, the Executive Mansion decorates its halls with a holiday theme. For their second year in the White House, President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden chose the theme, "We the People." The theme was inspired by
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to national attention in 1973, when President Richard Nixon nominated him as vice president. Less than a year later, Ford became president, following President Nixon's resignation from office. The Fords made and celebrated history during their time in the White House, fr
The annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House has been a regular public event since 1878 and a subject of interest to Americans across the country. To learn more about the White House Easter Egg Roll, click here.
While the official turkey pardon was not adopted as an event until the late twentieth century, the custom of giving of a turkey (or two) to the First Family goes back to the late-nineteenth century. The 1920s saw an abundance of the birds sent to the Executive Mansion through the generosity of the American people. In the mid-twentieth century, the
On January 1, 1801, the first public reception was held in the President's House, and a democratic social custom began. From 1801 until its end in 1932, the New Year's Reception at the White House was a tradition met with anticipation by diplomats, government officials, military officers, and the public alike. Everyone from the common citizen to the highest-ranking diplomat was welcomed. By the
For most of the nineteenth century, the annual Fourth of July reception was a great day for public celebration at the White House. Although a reception is no longer held, presidents and their families continued to host garden events, picnics, and parties on and around the American holiday.
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament. This gallery showcases every ornament we've created, including our new 2024 design, which you can purchase for your own collection in our online shop.
During the administrations of Presidents Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, the National Photo Company provided extensive coverage of events at the White House and throughout Washington, DC. The National Photo Company was a local agency that supplied photographs of current news events in Washington, D.C. as a daily service to its subscribers. The company's photos captured many historic and