RMNP Sends Gift to White House

A little piece of Colorado will be on the White House Christmas Tree this season.  Rocky Mountain National Park made a super adorable ornament for the tree.

I completely nerd out over anything that has to do with the history of our country. On deep level I feel that we need to know our past in order to progress toward the future. The superficial level of me wanting to know history is that I think it's pretty damn rad.

So.  If you are into history, here are some facts about the White House's Christmas traditions.  Feel free to impress your family as you are sipping eggnog!

• The first White House Christmas party was held in December 1800. President and Mrs. Adams gave it for their four-year-old granddaughter Suzannah, who was living with them. The Adams invited the children of "official" Washington to the party.
• The record for the number of trees in the White House was held for many years by the Eisenhower administration when 26 trees filled every floor of the house. That mark has been eclipsed on several occasions in recent times, including the Clinton administration's 36 trees in the 1997 theme of "Santa's Workshop," and the 2008 White House Christmas decorations of the Bush administration that included 27 trees as part of a theme of "A Red, White and Blue Christmas."
• Franklin D. Roosevelt always read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol to his family on Christmas Eve.
• Over her eight White House holiday seasons, First Lady Hillary Clinton showcased the talents of America's artistic communities. First Lady Laura Bush varied the decorations, including the themes of "All Creatures Grand and Small in 2002" highlighting her love of animals and the importance of pets to White House history and a patriotic "A Red, White and Blue Christmas" in 2008. The theme had been inspired by letters from Americans that began arriving after September 11th suggesting the White House have a red, white and blue Christmas. First Lady Michelle Obama announced the 2010 White House Christmas theme of "Simple Gifts" and she explained, "The greatest blessings of all are the ones that don't cost a thing: the time that we spend with our loved ones, the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and the joy we feel from reaching out to those in need."

Source: Whitehousehistory.org