The most famous Christmas tree in the United States is the White House Christmas Tree. The first real Christmas tree appeared in the White House in 1856 during the presidency of Franklin Pierce and was intended for the private Christmas celebration of his family and friends. The first official White House Christmas tree, however, did not appear until 1889 during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison and since has become a popular White House tradition. Not every intervening president, however, has supported this tradition. Based on his adamant conservationism, President Teddy Roosevelt prohibited Christmas trees in the White House.

For the past forty years, the National Christmas Tree Association has sponsors a contest among American Christmas tree growers to select the official White House Christmas Tree. For 2007, the official White House Christmas Tree will be a Fraser fir from Laurel Springs, North Carolina. Each year, the winning tree is presented to the First Lady at the White House. In years past, the winning trees have originated Oregon to North Carolina and from many states in between.

Each year, the White House Christmas Tree, which traditionally is placed in the Blue Room, is decorated by the First Family, their staff and volunteers. The early White House Christmas trees were illuminated by candles. In 1895, the first electric lights were used by First Lady Frances Cleveland to decorate the White House Christmas Tree.

In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy decorated the White House Christmas Tree with toys from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite ballet, trimming the tree with toy soldiers, candy canes, lollipops, sugarplum fairies and toy musical instruments. These decorations were made by disabled Americans.

Following the Kennedy lead, subsequent First Ladies have also chosen a theme for decorating the White House Christmas Tree. Some themes have been simply fun Christmas themes. Others, not surprisingly, have also had a political message, albeit a subtle one. For example, in 1986, Nancy Reagan chose Mother Goose nursery rhymes as the decoration theme for the White House Christmas Tree. In 2001, First Lady Bush used minature replicas of historic houses from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.