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One of the White House's longest and most anticipated traditions is the Christmas tree decorations unveiled every year by the first lady.
Although administrations had already been decorating the White House for Christmas for decades, back in 1961, then-first lady Jackie Kennedy became the first to decorate in accordance with a theme.
Since then, Americans across the country have been able to enjoy countless Christmas displays at the People's House, no matter their party affiliation. No doubt, some decorations have been more controversial than others, but most have provided unique and festive insights into the personal taste of each first lady.
That said, here are the five best Christmas instillations in recent White House history.
5. 2011, Michelle Obama: 'Shine, Give, Share'
First lady Michelle Obama's 2011 Christmas display featured warm Christmas lights, garlands, and ornaments reminiscent of the best the 1980s had to offer.
Obama's theme balanced familiarity and festivity, even featuring a decorative recreation of their dog, Bo.
But the real showstopper was a commemorative Christmas tree honoring the brave men and women of the military whose service allows millions of Americans across the country to enjoy the holiday peacefully at home.
On the tree hung framed medals awarded to America's finest military members, with the blue star families fittingly being honored in the White House's Blue Room. The tree was also adorned with handmade holiday cards written by children from military families.
4. 1983, Nancy Reagan: 'Old-Fashioned Toys'
First lady Nancy Reagan's Christmas decorations were unpretentious and relatable. The Christmas tree above features an eclectic mix of garlands, tinsel, and playful ornaments that suited the 1983 theme "Old-Fashioned Toys."
The tree seemed to celebrate the excitement of Christmas as seen through the eyes of a child, anxiously waking up early to unwrap gifts after noticing that Santa finished his plate of cookies. The tree was not particularly glamorous or high fashion, but rather comforting and familiar. It felt like going home for the holidays.
To top it all off, Reagan's display featured a surprise celebrity appearance.
While Reagan unveiled the Christmas decor, she also appeared alongside Mr. T dressed up as Santa Claus.
3. 1967, Lady Bird Johnson
First lady Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson integrated every nostalgic Christmas motif imaginable in her Christmas decorations.
The tree itself had garlands made of popcorn and cranberry, sugar-cookie ornaments and candy canes hung on branches, as well as classic silver bobbles and felt decorations. The tree looked as if it had been decorated entirely by ornaments and embellishments children made at school to proudly hang on the tree in their family living room.
Johnson's decorations also included a beautiful 18th-century Italian Nativity scene complete with floating angels.
The Nativity scene was presented to the White House as a Christmas gift by an American philanthropist and art collector named Jane Engelhard, who also made major donations to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
2. 2006, Laura Bush: 'Deck the Halls and Welcome All'
First lady Laura Bush included all of the classic elements that make Christmas festive, but she also added a unique, whimsical detail.
Bush's trees featured faux snow caps on the branches that made them appear as though they had just been plucked out of a Christmas Claymation movie. The trees were also adorned with cascading silver tinsel and garlands, sparkling snowflakes, and glass ornaments tied with red bows.
Similar trees were found throughout the halls of the White House beside bold garlands of red and silver ornaments consistent with the tree's color palette.
1. 2025, Melania Trump: 'Home Is Where the Heart Is'
First lady Melania Trump's taste in Christmas decorations has been consistently exquisite, and 2025 is no exception.
Most will remember Trump's iconic display featuring a hallway of bold, red Christmas trees or stark, white branches from her husband's first term. Although her decorations made a splash both of those years, 2025 is arguably her most stunning display yet.
Dozens of trees are illuminated by twinkling lights and floating candles with dashes of red and gold ribbon running between the branches. Matching red presents are laid at the base of the trees as well as countless wreaths on every window of the White House.
Trump also featured several playful elements throughout the White House, including a Lego portrait of President George Washington, President Donald Trump, and matching Lego bows on the wreaths above them.
In a touching tribute, one tree displayed in the Red Room is decorated with tens of thousands of blue butterflies to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of foster children across the country, one of her signature causes.
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Left whines over Kimmel’s cancellation, but conservatives faced real federally funded censorship
The left is in an uproar, accusing conservatives of pushing Jimmy Kimmel off the air and of hypocritically undermining their own First Amendment principles.
Yet, Kimmel’s exit was driven by a fed-up network responding to market forces. The left has looked the other way when conservative outlets battled federally funded censorship campaigns targeting their voices, including as recently as December 2024.
'Jimmy Kimmel got canceled by his own Democrat-run network because his own affiliates finally got fed up with his garbage ratings, his garbage behavior, and his garbage lies.'
The now-defunct Global Engagement Center, a subdivision of the State Department, was formed under the Obama administration and tasked with the mission “to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.”
While the GEC was initially created to protect Americans from “disinformation” from other countries, it was used against several American media outlets, including Blaze Media.
Under the Biden administration, the GEC expanded its so-called disinformation efforts, partnering with the Global Disinformation Index, a United Kingdom-based nonprofit. GDI claims to provide “independent, neutral, and transparent data and intelligence to advise policymakers and business leaders about how to combat disinformation and its creators.”
This partnership allowed the Biden administration to finance the censorship of American media without violating its goal of countering foreign propaganda.
RELATED: Biden-Harris deep state censorship scandal EXPOSED: Here's who's fighting back
The GDI published a report in 2022 that listed American outlets it deemed the “least risky” and the “riskiest” for publishing "disinformation."
According to the GDI, the top 10 “riskiest” media websites included:
- New York Post
- Reason Magazine
- RealClearPolitics
- The Daily Wire
- The Blaze
- One America News Network
- The American Conservative
- The Federalist
- Newsmax
- The American Spectator
GDI labeled NPR, AP News, the New York Times, ProPublica, and Insider among the top 10 least risky.
The federal government’s funding of GDI prompted a lawsuit in December 2023 from Texas, the Daily Wire, and the Federalist. The lawsuit called it “one of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press in the history of the nation.”
“Conservative commentators and news outlets like the Federalist were blacklisted, censored, and illegally targeted for destruction by the federal government for years, and Jimmy Kimmel never said a word,” Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of the Federalist, told Blaze News.
“Jimmy Kimmel got canceled by his own Democrat-run network because his own affiliates finally got fed up with his garbage ratings, his garbage behavior, and his garbage lies,” Davis continued. “Charlie Kirk, who was murdered in front of his wife and children because of his beliefs, is an actual martyr. Jimmy Kimmel is a pathetic crybully who’s finally getting a taste of his own medicine.”
The GEC was officially shut down in December 2024.
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