photo credit: Gale
When the lights go up on the White House Christmas tree, decorations are hung or a turkey is pardoned, the moments belong, not just to an individual family, but to the whole nation. Each November and December, the presidency becomes a stage for traditions that connect the government to the people, and each new White House occupant brings a new twist.
Every president brings a new tradition to the White House that displays their holiday celebrations. An upcoming tradition that interests the public is the pardoning of the turkey, and the first president who officially participated in this tradition was Harry S. Truman in 1947 according to the White House Historical Association.
“Like any tradition, the presidential holiday traditions become familiar staples of memory over time. It is interesting how these traditions are started and then get carried on from one administration to the next over time. It is fun to learn the history behind them and anticipate their happening every year,” Social Studies Teacher Jesse Tierney said.
As the month of December gets closer, the White House will transform into a winter wonderland with the help of American citizens. The first lady and president every year will open up applications to the public to participate in the decorating of the White House, and First Lady Melenia Trump and President Trump have already notified their select volunteers according to The White House official website.
“Typically, the first ladies are in charge of decorating the White House. I’ve been to the White House more than once for that time of year, and it is impressive. It’s usually very well done. That’s probably the other most well known tradition,” Government Teacher John Carmichael said.
The lighting of the National Christmas tree is also a very popular tradition among the public that began with President Calvin Coolidge being the first chief executive to preside over the National Christmas tree lighting ceremony, doing so on the Ellipse in 1923 according to the White House Historical Association. This year, President Trump, along with his family, will take part in the lighting of the tree with the public on Dec. 4 in President’s Park.
“Traditions are symbols of our culture, and presidential traditions remind the American people that the president is a citizen of this republic just like us with whom we share that common culture. It makes the president appear more relatable to the people,” Tierney said.
Presidential traditions are more than ceremonial; they help define the legitimacy of those who hold office. Every holiday or tradition that leaders legitimize establish what Americans celebrate and how the cultural identity of the country is shaped.
“The president is also the first citizen, and what that means is they’re supposed to lead by example. They are citizens themselves and so when they take part in these activities, they legitimize them,” Carmichael said.
With the new administration, Vice President JD Vance is Catholic, but his wife Usha is Hindu, so the Vances bring an interfaith dynamic in the White House that could broaden American ideas into new holiday traditions in the future.
“I could see in the future Vance doing something with that. Potentially, plugging in a celebration, or an observance, and the point of that, again, is to legitimize that because most Americans don’t even know what it is. They don’t even know what monotheism is. So, it’s the job of the president to help educate people that way too,” Carmichael said.
Even when administrations and America itself changes, these presidential traditions will continue to bind the nation together during the holidays.
