Christmas at the White House
An enchanting tour of the holiday decorations and traditions of 12 presidential families
1894
The Cleveland family Christmas tree, set up in the second-floor Oval Room of the White House, was the first to boast electric light bulbs.
1923
President Calvin Coolidge participates in the first national Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the White House grounds.
1933
Workers decorate the front of the White House for Christmas.
Dec. 25, 1939
The Roosevelts try to pose for a family holiday card in the East Room.
1961
Caroline Kennedy inspects the Christmas tree in the Blue Room before a party for White House employees.
1968
Lyndon B. Johnson and his family on Christmas Eve.
1975
Staff from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection decorate the Blue Room Christmas tree.
1975
First lady Betty Ford, Santa Claus, and clowns lead a procession of Diplomatic Corps children at a White House Christmas party.
1978
President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter share the first dance of the evening at the Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House.
1983
First lady Nancy Reagan poses alongside a 20-foot noble fir, which will be decorated for Christmas.
1984
President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan play with their new dog Lucky in the family's private quarters.
1992
First lady Barbara Bush, holding her grandson, places the star on top of the national Christmas tree.
1997
President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to local kids in the East Room.
2007
President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, and the kids of military personnel serving overseas watch a performance of A Christmas Carol at the White House.
2011
First lady Michelle Obama and White House staff decorate cookies with kids from military families.
2012
White House pastry chef Bill Yosses explains his design for the nearly 300-pound gingerbread house — a White House holiday tradition since the 1960s.
