142,000 lights, 33,000 ornaments, and 98 Christmas trees have been unveiled at the presidential residence this season, one of the largest holiday displays in recent memory at the White House. The China Room has been decorated to become the “White House Candy Shop” on November 27, 2023.
Decorations and Lighting
This year’s display – which reflects the theme of “magic, wonder, and joy” chosen by Jill Biden – includes 72 wreaths, a significantly higher number than the 25 that adorned the White House last year, as well as 33,892 ornaments and 22,100 bells, which is 20,000 more than in 2022.
Jill Biden decorated the White House with 98 Christmas trees this year, about twenty more trees than the 77 used in 2022 and more than the previous record of 81 trees set by President Trump in 2018, according to the White House Historical Association.
More than 142,425 Christmas lights adorn the trees, wreaths, garlands, and other displays at the White House this year, compared to 83,615 lights used last year.
Decor Details
The East Wing features giant candy pieces hanging from the ceiling, while Christmas crafts take center stage in the Red Room, surrounded by tools and ladders in the state dining room, where it has been transformed into Santa’s workshop.
The China Room has been decorated to recreate a candy shop, while the Vermeil Room represents “the joy of music and performance during the holidays,” and the Blue Room hosts the official White House Christmas tree, an 18.5-foot Fraser fir that bears the name of every state and territory.
The decor also pays tribute to the 200th anniversary of the poem “The Night Before Christmas” – the White House features a traditional gingerbread house version of the book, and copies from the past 200 years from the Library of Congress are displayed, along with a Santa Claus sleigh and reindeer hanging over the grand hall of the building.
Historical Background
The first Christmas tree at the White House was installed in 1889 by President Benjamin Harrison, but it wasn’t until 1923 that the first “national” Christmas tree was erected in Washington, D.C., with the permission of First Lady Grace Coolidge. This tree, placed in the Ellipse south of the White House, was lit in front of thousands of spectators by President Calvin Coolidge on Christmas Eve, and every president has installed a national Christmas tree since then.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was the first to choose an official theme for the White House Christmas tree in 1961, which she modeled on Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker.” Executive pastry chef Hans Raffert created the first annual White House gingerbread structure in 1969, a tradition that continues to this day. Over the years, themes for Christmas decor in the White House have included “Spirit of America,” “We the People,” “All is Bright and Beautiful,” and “Holiday Reflections.” In addition to extensive Christmas decorations, a lighthouse was illuminated inside the White House for the first time in 2001. Today, the official White House lighthouse stands in the Cross Hall.
Big Numbers
14,975 is the number of feet of ribbon used to decorate the White House this year.
Additional Information
The poem “The Night Before Christmas” was first published under the title “A Visit from St. Nicholas” on December 23, 1823, in the newspaper “The Sentinel,” which was published in Troy, New York. It was published anonymously, but Professor Clement Clarke Moore took credit for the poem nearly 15 years later, although some believe it was written by Colonel Henry Livingston Jr. Over the 200 years since its first publication, the story is believed to have contributed to the creation of the modern image of Santa Claus and has been published in hundreds of editions. The Hunt Library at Carnegie Mellon University holds nearly 400 editions of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” and in 2006, an original handwritten and signed copy by Moore was sold for $280,000 to a buyer identified only as the CEO of a media company.
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