Five first ladies decorate first White House Christmas
The White House on Monday unveiled its Christmas decorations and the “Gifts from the Heart” theme selected by first lady Jill Biden.
It took over 100 volunteers more than a week to showcase the 41 Christmas trees, 6,000 feet of ribbon, over 300 candles, 10,000 ornaments, 25 wreaths and 78,750 holiday lights now adorning the People’s House, which has marked the holiday through several traditions established over two centuries.
President Benjamin Harrison was the first to stand a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and candles inside the White House for family and friends to enjoy in 1889. The ritual became an annual tradition in 1929 when first lady Lou Henry Hoover decorated her indoor tree. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy further refined the tradition when she chose a Nutcracker theme for her Christmas tree, and began placing it in the oval Blue Room of the White House.
Check out these photos of first lady Jill Biden’s decorations this year, plus decorations selected by the four first ladies who preceded her in 1993, 2001, 2009 and 2017.
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