Who decorated the first White House Christmas tree?
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.
How many Christmas trees are there in the White House?
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. Traditionally, the tree in the Blue Room is the official White House Christmas tree.
Why does the White House have a Blue Room Christmas tree?
Since then, the Blue Room has been home to the White House's official Christmas tree, trimmed annually by the first lady. In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy kicked off the custom of a themed Blue Room tree by garnishing it with characters from the “Nutcracker Suite” ballet.
When did the Christmas Tree Farm refill tall order for White House?
" Christmas tree farm refills tall order for White House ", Washington Post, October 21, 2009, accessed November 2, 2009. Pickens, Jennifer B. Christmas at the White House, ( Google Books link ), Fife & Drum Press, 2009, ( ISBN 0615287646 ).
What was the first kind of Christmas tree at the White House?
On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge touches a button and lights up the first national Christmas tree to grace the White House grounds. Not only was this the first White House “community” Christmas tree, but it was the first to be decorated with electric lights—a strand of 2,500 red, white and green bulbs.
When did the White House have its first Christmas tree?
1889The tradition of a placing a decorated tree in the White House began in 1889 on Christmas morning during the Presidency of Benjamin Harrison.
What kind of Christmas trees are in the White House?
Official list (1961–2021)YearSpecies and location grownLocation2019Douglas fir, Pitman, PennsylvaniaBlue Room2018Fraser fir, Newland, North CarolinaBlue Room2017Balsam fir, Endeavor, WisconsinBlue Room2016Douglas fir, Oconto, WisconsinBlue Room57 more rows
Which American president banned Christmas trees in the White House?
President Theodore RooseveltWhen I was a kid fifty years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt had a bad rap. We learned that way back in the 1900s, he banned Christmas trees from the White House.
Who was the first president to have a tree?
When did the White House Christmas tree move to the Blue Room? President William H Taft became the first president to have a Christmas tree in a public portion of the White House, when his children put up a tree in the Blue Room during his presidency.
Where is the first Christmas tree?
Latvia and Estonia both claim to have been home to the first Christmas tree. Latvia traces its Christmas tree traditions back to 1510, when a merchant guild called the House of the Black Heads carried a tree through the city, decorated it, and later burned it down.
Where did the 2021 White House tree come from?
The White House is getting a little bit of Southern charm for the 2021 holiday season. Last week, President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden welcomed an 18.5 foot Fraser fir tree from Peak Farms in Ashe County, N.C. On Oct.
How many Christmas trees are in the White House in 2021?
The White House decor for 2021 includes 41 Christmas trees, around 6,000 feet of ribbon, over 10,000 ornaments, and more than 300 candles. Nearly 79,000 lights were used to decorate the trees, wreaths, garlands and other holiday displays around the White House.
Where does the White House tree come from?
The tradition of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse began with President Calvin Coolidge over 90 years ago when he lit a 48 foot Balsam Fir from Vermont decorated with 2,500 electric bulbs in red, white, and green on Christmas Eve 1923. Today, the tree lighting remains a beloved holiday event in Washington, DC.
What was the first Christmas tree?
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.
Did Martin Luther start the Christmas tree tradition?
One of our World Vision staff writers, Dorothy Haskins, has written a children's book called “Luther's Children Celebrate Christmas.” She did a lot of research on this subject for her book, and incredibly, she tells us that Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation in the 1600s, is actually credited with ...
Where was the first Christmas tree in the United States?
In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded the use of a Christmas tree in 1821, leading Lancaster to also lay claim to the first Christmas tree in America.
Where did the Christmas tree for the White House come from?
The tradition of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse began with President Calvin Coolidge over 90 years ago when he lit a 48 foot Balsam Fir from Vermont decorated with 2,500 electric bulbs in red, white, and green on Christmas Eve 1923. Today, the tree lighting remains a beloved holiday event in Washington, DC.
What is the White House tradition 1878?
the Easter Egg RollOn Easter Monday, 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy opened the White House lawn to egg rollers. Soon after, the Easter Egg Roll became a White House tradition, and was one of the few events in Washington that was never segregated.
What is the White House tradition started in 1878?
The first annual White House Easter Egg Roll was held on April 22, 1878 after President Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to open the White House Grounds on Easter Monday.
How much did the White House Christmas tree cost?
In what can only be described as a holiday miracle, the price is slightly cheaper than the $160,000-plus the feds paid in 2019 for the last pre-pandemic National Tree lighting, under former President Trump. A virtual tree lighting ceremony took place in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who put up the first Christmas tree?
The first Christmas tree put up for the joy of a president’s immediate family was in 1889 during the administration of Benjamin Harrison. Among the really young Harrison relatives present were the two children of his daughter Mary and her husband James Robert McKee and the daughter of his son Russell and his wife. Also present, according to longtime White House employee William H. Crook, were Mrs. Mary Scott Dimmick, Mrs. Harrison’s niece, and the Reverend Dr. Scott, Mrs. Harrison’s father.
Who saw the Harrison tree?
Crook saw the tree. (He worked without interruption for 12 presidents beginning with Lincoln as a bodyguard. Later he became chief clerk at the White House. Woodrow Wilson was the last president he served.) Writing in his book Memories of the White House (shortened title), Crook said that the Harrison tree was “truly the most beautiful I have ever seen, before or since.” He further explained: “From topmost point to the floor it was laden with decorations, with toys innumerable for the children, and with gifts for the older ones.” The tree aside, Crook noted that in the library were “scores if not hundreds” of gifts from strangers for the Harrisons.
Who was the president of the United States when the trees were cut down?
Beginning with the Harrisons, it became customary to have a Christmas tree in the White House. However, the tradition did not sit well with ardent conservationist Theodore Roosevelt, who was president from September 1901 to March 1909. He thought that the cutting down of trees for use at Christmas led to deforestation.
Who was the first president to have a Christmas tree in the White House?
He may not be remembered for much else, but in 1889, President Benjamin Harrison placed the first Christmas tree in the White House. It was displayed in the Yellow Oval Room on the second floor, which was used as a library and parlor for the First Family at that time, and festooned with toys for the president's grandkids.
When was the first White House Christmas tree installed in the Blue Room?
It's believed that the first Christmas tree in the Blue Room was put up by President William H. Taft's children in 1912. Their parents were in Panama at the time, so they tucked it away there as a surprise for their seven young cousins, who were visiting for the holiday.
Where have the most White House Blue Room Christmas trees come from?
North Carolina holds the honor of sending the most trees bound for the Blue Room at Christmas (since 1961), with a total of 13. Pennsylvania is second with 10, followed by Wisconsin's eight.
What president banned the White House Christmas tree?
That would be President Theodore Roosevelt. According to legend, the ardent conservationist wasn't too keen on chopping down trees for Christmas. But President Roosevelt's eight-year-old son, Archie, supposedly snuck a wee tree upstairs past his dad, squirreling it away in a sewing room closet.
What kind of evergreen has been used most often as the White House Christmas tree?
The winner by a mile is fir. In fact, 51 fir trees have graced the Blue Room at Christmas since 1961. Spruces have gotten the thumbs up just seven times, and pines only once.
What did FDR do as a governor?
As governor of New York, he spearheaded a tree planting program for the state that was unprecedented in its ambition. And once he arrived at the White House, he oversaw the installation of a number of new trees, including in 1935 a magnificent white oak that stands today on the eastern side of the White House.
Why did Jimmy Carter plant a cedar tree in the White House?
In 1978, the ambassador from Lebanon and other members of the Lebanese community presented Jimmy Carter (president from 1977 to 1981) with a cedar of Lebanon to plant on the White House grounds as thanks for the president's work on Middle East peace. The cedar of Lebanon is an ancient tree that appears in several places in the Bible and on the flag of the state of Lebanon.
What was Andrew Jackson's favorite tree?
In 1829, a grieving Andrew Jackson arrived in Washington with a cutting from his wife's favorite magnolia tree on their Tennessee ranch. She had died just days after his election to the first of his two terms (1829-1837). For almost two hundred years, the "Jackson Magnolia" graced the front of the White House, and its massive blossoms perfumed the White House living quarters. It even appeared on the $20 bill until 1998. In late 2017, the tree finally had to be taken down, but it was replaced by a slip propagated from the original.
Why did John F Kennedy walk in the Rose Garden?
Kennedy, who served as president from 1961 until his assassination in 1963, often strolled in the White House Rose Garden when seeking inspiration to meet the challenges of the presidency. At his death, his widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, asked that a basket of cuttings from the Rose Garden be placed at his grave.
When did Queen Elizabeth plant lindens?
In 1991 , Queen Elizabeth joined President George H. Bush (president from 1989 to 1993) to plant a littleleaf linden on the White House's South Lawn. This tree replaced another of the same variety, which was planted in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI.
Who planted the dogwood in the White House?
In 1996, President Bill Clinton (1993-2001) planted a white dogwood on the South Lawn of the White House in memory of his Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, who had died along with 34 Commerce Department employees that week in a plane crash.
Who was the first lady to plant a willow tree?
Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, president from 1963 to 1969, was the better-known gardener of this first couple. She began a roadside beautification and wildflower planting project that drivers across the country still enjoy today. But President Johnson also had a say in some of the White House trees, including a willow oak.
