December 11, 2024 – Theme Week Day 3

We’re halfway through our Christmas Firsts theme week! Today we’re talking about the first White House Christmas tree, which was placed in the second floor Oval Room in 1889, during the Benjamin Harrison administration. Before this, White House Christmases weren’t big affairs. But for Christmas 1889, the Harrison’s tree was decorated with candles and toys for their grandchildren and every member of the domestic staff received a gift. Harrison even dressed as Santa Claus for the occasion. The first electric lights on a White House Christmas tree were used in 1894 during Grover Cleveland’s administration. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy started the tradition of choosing a theme for the White House Christmas tree in 1961, decorating with a Nutcracker motif. The White House Christmas tree is selected from growers across the country. The tree has come from North Carolina more than any other state. This year’s tree is an 18 1/2 foot Frasier fir from North Carolina, and the theme is “A Season of Peace and Light”. Learn more here.