White House Christmas tree

President Franklin Pierce is said to have had the first indoor Christmas tree at the White House during the 1850s,[1] variously reported as 1853[2] or 1856.

[5] 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.

[5] 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.

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.

[15] The Nixon administration's choice of tree topper, the atomic symbol of peace rather than a traditional star, was criticized.

[16] The 1995 Blue Room Christmas tree sought ornaments made by architecture students from across the United States.

[20] In 2008, one of the ornaments designed by a Seattle artist, Deborah Lawrence, was rejected for inclusion on the Blue Room Christmas Tree.

[21] The rejected ornament was a red and white striped 9-inch (23 cm) ball with the words "Impeach Bush" emblazoned on it.

The 2005 Christmas Tree in the White House's Blue Room
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with the first themed Blue Room tree in 1961.
The 2002 Blue Room Christmas tree.
The 1995 Blue Room Christmas tree – one of its ornaments was a source of political controversy for some.
President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush with the official White House Christmas tree in 1990.
The 2007 Blue Room Christmas tree arrives by horse-drawn carriage