Presidential Administrations With The Most White House Christmas Trees

In 2018, first lady Melania Trump raised a lot of eyebrows when she broke "tradition" by opting to include bright red Christmas trees for the White House holiday decor (posted on YouTube). Of course, the official White House tree that graced the Blue Room that year was green, in addition to 40 red trees decking out one particular hallway in The People's House. It was a new and unique style, but nothing really so very different from other presidential administrations who had their own take on how to celebrate the holiday. As history tells it, almost every president has contributed to the history of the White House Christmas tradition in some way.

For instance, President Benjamin Harrison welcomed the very first Christmas tree into the White House in 1889, says CNN, and Calvin Coolidge's administration was the first to light a national tree (per History). Theodore Roosevelt didn't have a tree because of his personal beliefs, says White House History, and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy took the helm of the House's decor during her husband's presidency. With over a century's worth of different presidential administrations demonstrating their own takes on how to celebrate Christmas, which administration had the greatest number of Christmas trees decking the halls?

While President Teddy Roosevelt didn't have any trees — he "celebrated the holiday with gifts, church service, and a family meal," per White House History – the Eisenhowers were the complete opposite. In 1959, they set a record with over 26 trees displayed throughout the White House. The Eisenhowers would hold that record for three decades.

In 1990 they were unseated when the first Bush administration beat them by having over 47 trees as part of their White House Christmas decor. The Clinton administration also topped the Eisenhowers, though they had fewer than the Bushes — just 32 in 1995.

The second President Bush must've been inspired by his father's presidency in at least one way: In 2001, a new record was set at the White House, with 49 Christmas trees. That number would hold the No. 1 spot for 14 years. In President Obama's second term, his administration added over a dozen more trees in 2015, for a new record of 62 trees.

Perhaps Melania Trump had the right idea to not only change tradition, but continue down the path of numerical increase when she included her red tree decor. In 2018, her 40 red trees, plus 41 other trees, have now placed the Trump administration at the top spot for the most Christmas trees in the White House. No word yet on how many trees the Bidens will utilize, though first lady Dr. Jill Biden welcomed the main tree earlier this month (above).