White House Christmas Trees

• Nineteenth-century White House Christmases were not grand affairs. Some first families decorated the house with simple boughs of greens and wreaths. They often brought their own traditions with them and privately celebrated with family and friends.
• The first known Christmas tree in the White House was placed upstairs in the Second Floor Oval Room (then used as a family parlor and library) in 1889 (during the Benjamin Harrison administration). It was decorated with candles for the Harrison grandchildren.
• Not all White House families after the Harrisons set up Christmas trees. The tradition typically depended on one of the following: the presence of young children or grandchildren; if the first families were in residence at the White House during the holiday; or if the family traditionally celebrated Christmas with a tree.
• Documentation suggests the first electric lights on a family tree were used in 1894 during the presidency of Grover Cleveland (as electricity was installed in the White House in 1891).
• One popular myth suggests that Theodore Roosevelt "banned" Christmas trees at the White House, but there is little evidence to support this beyond the Roosevelts not putting up a tree. The Roosevelts traditionally celebrated the holiday with gifts, church service, and a family meal, but they did not celebrate with a tree. In 1902, Archie Roosevelt snuck a small tree into the White House and hid it upstairs in a closet. He later revealed the decorated tree to his family, starting a new family tradition. The president was amused and allowed it to continue while the family lived at the White House. Historians, commentators, and writers later reasoned that Roosevelt didn’t have a large tree because of his beliefs in conservationism, when in fact it was because the family did not traditionally celebrate Christmas with a tree. The custom of a "Christmas tree" in every house is a relatively modern one.
• The Taft children—Robert, Helen, and Charles—placed the first tree in the Blue Room on the State Floor in 1912. President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen Taft were away on a trip to Panama, so the tree was a surprise for the seven young Laughlin and Herron cousins, who with their parents, were guests at the White House.
• President Calvin Coolidge was the first chief executive to preside over the National Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse in 1923.
• Since the Taft family placed a Christmas tree in the Blue Room in 1912, this custom of placing a tree or multiple trees on the State Floor was sporadically performed by successive first families. Some families placed a small tree in the Blue Room; many others preferred a large tree or trees in the East Room, as this was where most of the seasonal activities took place.
• Maître d' and butler Alonzo Fields recalled a cherished Christmas tradition of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his family in My 21 Years in the White House (1960): “They always braved the hazards of fire by having a Christmas tree lighted with candles in the East Hall. The family tradition included reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol by the president. The gathering of the family with the President and Mrs. Roosevelt, the president's mother, the children and grandchildren made a comely family group of four generations.”
• During the Dwight Eisenhower administration, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower featured a tree in the Blue Room consistently. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy continued this tradition and in 1961 selected a theme for the annual Blue Room Christmas tree. That year, the tree was decorated with objects depicting characters and toys from the "Nutcracker Suite" ballet. This tradition of a themed Blue Room Christmas tree has continued ever since.
• Since 1966, the National Christmas Tree Association has held a competition for the official White House Blue Room tree. To qualify for the national contest, growers must first win their state or regional competitions, so being named National Grand Champion is a major achievement.
• The record for the number of trees in the White House was held for many years by the Dwight Eisenhower administration when 26 trees filled the Executive Mansion in 1959. That mark has been eclipsed on a number of occasions: the Bushes’ “Nutcracker Ballet” theme (47 trees) in 1990; the Clintons’ “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” theme (32 trees) in 1995; the Bushes’ “Home for the Holidays” theme (49 trees) in 2001; the Obamas’ “A Timeless Tradition” theme (62 trees) in 2015; and the Trumps’ “American Treasures” theme (41 trees and more than 40 topiary trees in the East Colonnade) in 2018.

White House Blue Room Christmas Trees by State of Origin Since 1961¹

• North Carolina: 14
• Pennsylvania: 11
• Wisconsin: 8
• Washington: 7
• West Virginia: 5
• Ohio: 3
• Indiana: 2
• Michigan: 2
• New York: 2
• Oregon: 2
• Massachusetts: 1
• Missouri: 1
• Vermont: 1
• Anonymously Donated from New England: 1
• Unknown: 1

Types of Blue Room Christmas Tress by Number of Occurrences Since 1961*

• Firs: 54
• Spruces: 7
• Pines: 1

¹ Includes Christmas 2015. Although previous presidential administrations displayed Christmas trees indoors, it was First Lady Mamie Eisenhower who consistently placed a tree in the Blue Room and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy who established the tradition of selecting a decorative theme for the Blue Room Christmas tree in 1961. The Blue Room tree tradition was interrupted twice. In 1962, the tree was moved to the Entrance Hall because of renovation work. In 1969, First Lady Patricia Nixon chose to display the tree in the Entrance Hall to make it more visible.

Compiled by the White House Historical Association. Please credit the Association by its full name when using this as background material. Specific sources consulted available upon request.