The White House Christmas Tree, also known as the Blue Room Christmas Tree, is the official indoor Christmas tree at the residence of the president of the United States, the White House. The first indoor Christmas tree was installed in the White House sometime in the 19th century (there are varying claims as to the exact year) and since 1961 the tree has had a themed motif at the discretion of the first lady of the United States.
History
First tree There are two claims to the "first" genuine White House Christmas tree. President Franklin Pierce is said to have had the first indoor Christmas tree at the White House during the 1850s, variously reported as 1853"History of Christmas trees", National Christmas Tree Association, archived December 23, 2006. or 1856. More credible sources state that it was, in fact, President Benjamin Harrison who had the first indoor tree (either in 1888,Decatur Republican, December 27, 1888, page 6, Mrs. Cleveland has returned to Washington from the Quaker City. And it is asserted that despite the late disaster to his business, Grover did not reduce her allowance of pin money, with which she purchased what-ever trinkets, she deemed indispensable, for the decoration of the Christmas tree at the White House. And when the doors of the famous East Room are thrown open next Monday night there will be a tree laden with gifts, for most of the prominent people about Washington. 1889,"White House Christmas Trees", photo gallery, Whitehouse.gov, 2001, accessed April 1, 2009. or 1891"A Christmas Reversal", The New York Times December 25, 1994, accessed March 29, 2009.). First Lady Caroline Harrison helped decorate the tree, which was installed in the second floor oval parlor, today's Yellow Oval Room."The Start of a Holiday Tradition ", White House Historical Association, accessed September 19, 2012. There is an 1880 reference to President John Tyler in the 1840s, hosting a children's party at which there was a Christmas tree with gifts.
General Following the Harrison administration indoor trees were not always used at the White House. First Lady Lou Henry Hoover began the tradition of presidential wives decorating the White House tree with the first "official" White House Christmas tree in 1929. In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of selecting a theme for the White House Christmas tree by decorating with a Nutcracker motif."Jacqueline Kennedy Refines the Season", White House Historical Association, accessed February 25, 2023.
Years without a tree As stated, there were years where no indoor White House Christmas tree was installed at all. It is verifiable that there was no Christmas tree in the White House in 1902,"The White House Christmas; Mrs. Roosevelt Will Act as Santa Claus's Agent Without a Tree", The New York Times, December 24, 1902, accessed March 30, 2009. 1904,"Yuletide in Washington; No Christmas Tree at the White House – Many Family Parties", The New York Times, December 25, 1904, accessed March 29, 2009. 1907,"WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS PLANS :Members of President's Family Will Observe Day Without Formality—Possum for Dinner.. ", (ProQuest link, Chicago Daily Tribune (1872–1922), p.6., December 25, 1907, accessed November 5, 2011, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers Chicago Tribune (1849–1987). and 1922."Harding Christmas Quiet; Mrs. Harding's Illness Prevents Celebration in White House", The New York Times, December 24, 1922, accessed March 30, 2009. The lack of a tree in 1902 was due to the fact that President Theodore Roosevelt had not ordered one by December 23.
Additionally, other presidents never displayed a tree in the White House. First U.S. president George Washington held office at a time when there was no White House, thus it is impossible for him to have displayed a tree there."George and Martha Washington ", Christmas at the White House, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, accessed March 31, 2009. There is no evidence that Abraham Lincoln ever displayed a Christmas tree in the White House."Abraham and Mary Lincoln ", Christmas at the White House, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, accessed March 31, 2009. In 1922, First Lady Florence Harding's illness led to a more subdued Christmas celebration at the White House and no Christmas tree.
Controversy
In 1899 the White House of President William McKinley received letters urging the president to forgo participation in the "Christmas tree habit". The letter writers, which the Chicago Daily Tribune noted had taken up the "forestry fad", referred to "arboreal infanticide", according to the Tribune. Those opposed to a tree in the White House that year also termed Christmas trees "un-American" because it was a historically German tradition. At least one tree was displayed in the White House that year, in the kitchen department, for the maids.
The Nixon administration's choice of tree topper, the atomic symbol of peace rather than a traditional star, was criticized.Olshan, Jeremy. "Impeach Bush for Christmas", Salon.com, December 3, 2008, accessed March 30, 2009.
The 1995 Blue Room Christmas tree sought ornaments made by architecture students from across the United States. Contest winner Rene Spineto designed an ornament that depicted two stockings, one marked "Bill" filled with candy and presents, and the other marked "Newt" filled with coal. The Clinton administration hung the ornament on the tree without censorship.
In his 1998 book Unlimited Access, published by conservative publishing house Regnery Publishing, former FBI agent Gary Aldrich claimed that the Clinton administration decorated the 1994 White House Christmas Tree with condoms and drug paraphernalia.Aldrich, Gary. Unlimited Access, ( Internet Archive), Regnery Publishing, 1998, pp. 103–107, (). George Stephanopoulos called the book a "work of fiction";Stephanopoulos, George. All Too Human: : A Political Education, (Google Books), Back Bay, 2000, p. 417, (). it has also been called "infamous".Confessore, Nicholas. "Hillary Was Right", The American Prospect, November 30, 2002, accessed April 4, 2009.
In 2008, one of the ornaments designed by a Seattle artist, Deborah Lawrence, was rejected for inclusion on the Blue Room Christmas Tree. The rejected ornament was a red and white striped ball with the words "Impeach Bush" emblazoned on it. The ornament was the only one of about 370 submitted that was rejected."Hackett, Regina. Seattle ornament banned from White House Christmas tree", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 3, 2008, accessed March 29, 2009.
Tree
Description The White House Christmas tree is selected from various growers nationwide.Mitchell, Monte. "Officials choose White House Christmas tree in Ashe County ", Winston-Salem Journal, October 21, 2008, accessed March 29, 2009. Growers in the state of North Carolina have provided 16 trees, more than any other state."Helene damaged roads make shipping North Carolina grown Christmas trees harder", wfmynews2.com, October 15, 2024, accessed October 19, 2024. The state of Pennsylvania has the second-highest total of trees provided for the White House with 11, as of 2024."Pennsylvania farm wins White House Christmas tree contest for second time", Philly Voice, October 11, 2022, accessed October 12, 2022. The White House Christmas tree has been displayed in the Blue Room many times since 1961. It has also occasionally been displayed in the Entrance Hall.
Generally, there is more than one Christmas tree in and around the White House, for instance, in 1997 there were 36, in 2008 there were 27.McBride, Anita. "Ask the White House", Whitehouse.gov, December 16, 2008, accessed March 30, 2009. Traditionally, the tree in the Blue Room is the official White House Christmas tree. The White House Christmas tree usually stands nearly tall and the crystal chandelier in the Blue Room must be removed for the tree to fit the room.World Book Inc. Christmas in Washington D.C. (Google Books), World Book .com, 1998, pp. 23–24 (). Frequently, the tree's height is reported as Silverman, Stephen M. "Laura Bush Unveils White House Christmas Tree", People, November 29, 2007, accessed March 30, 2009."White House Christmas tree again comes from NC ", WWAY, October 22, 2008, accessed March 30, 2009. or tall.Grace, Francie. "White House 2002: Merry Pet-mas!", CBS News, November 21, 2002, accessed March 30, 2009. The Blue Room tree is donated each year by the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA). The NCTA has donated the tree since 1966; it is chosen through a contest among members of the trade group."It's a Fraser fir for White House Christmas tree", USA Today, November 30, 2008, accessed March 30, 2009.
Official list (1961–2026)