Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Christmas at the White House
Caption: First Lady Nancy Reagan climbs the ladder to help trim one of the White House Christmas trees, 1982.
Christmas at the White House! It has all the Christmas trees, glittering ornaments, elegant decorations, and holiday events that you could wish to see in one place. For Christmas 2008, this included 27 Christmas trees, 780 feet of garland, 232 wreaths, and 412 poinsettias.
Beginning just after Thanksgiving, nearly one hundred volunteers came to work on the decorations. Along with members of the residence staff, they decorated the White House inside and out. Soon it was decked out in sparkling Christmas splendor, ready for holiday tours, receptions, and other special events.
The theme chosen by the First Lady for 2008 was "Red, White, and Blue Christmas."
One of the most important rooms to be decorated in the White House was the Blue Room. The Blue Room is the location of the official White House tree. In 2008, it was an eighteen and one-half foot Fraser fir from North Carolina. It was so tall that the Blue Room chandelier had to be taken down to make room for the tree. Volunteers hung 369 ornaments on the giant tree. The ornaments had been designed by artists from around the country.
