Greetings from White House Christmas Cards

President George Washington (1789-1797)
President Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
Presdient Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
President Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961)
President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
President Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945)
President Barack Obama (2009-Present)

Like the rituals of the holiday season, the history of Christmas cards from the White House is ingrained in time-honored traditions. With the passing of each era, these traditions have been modified and expanded upon by United States Presidents of centuries past and decades of recent. From Franklin Pierce to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from Andrew Johnson to Lyndon B. Johnson, from George Washington to George Bush – these are all Presidents who have made their mark on the heritage of celebrating Christmas in the White House and on the long-standing tradition of Christmas cards being sent from the United States Chief Executive.

WhiteHouseChristmasCards.com was created to capture these accounts and provide narrative for wondering minds interested in the history of Christmas cards as they pertain to the White House and each President. Have you ever wanted to know which President sent out the first Christmas cards? Have you ever considered whether or not the first Presidents of the United States even celebrated Christmas? Have you ever wondered who actually receives presidential Christmas cards? If these questions ever crossed your mind, then you’re in the right place.

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln requested cartoonist Thomas Nast to create a special Christmas-themed illustration for the cover of Harper’s Weekly that linked holiday celebrations to the ongoing Civil War? Nast ended up creating the standardized image of Santa Claus as we know it today, which we relish in thousands of unique Christmas cards designs. Did you know that during the first year of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s three-term presidency, the White House received so many Christmas cards that they had to hire a staff just to handle all the incoming mail? Did you know that Eisenhower, himself, painted six of the eight Christmas gift prints that he gave to his White House staff each holiday season?

These types of Christmas-related facts and tidbits are dotted throughout this site, woven together by the key historical elements that define how each President is remembered in the minds of the American people. So for all of you history buffs and Christmas cards fanatics, enjoy the information provided on this site and if you know of any important facts that we accidentally omitted, please share them in the comments field.  Also, if you’re looking to honor the tradition of sending Christmas cards this holiday season, we here recommend visiting ​The Gallery Collection.