Christmas at the White House has become quite a spectacular event over the decades — trees, decorations, lights, parties, and music are a mainstay throughout most of the month of December. The First Lady typically oversees the decor and many of the festivities.
Earlier today, we were marveling at what a beautiful job Melania Trump did this year with her "Home Is Where the Heart Is" theme. "Home is not merely a physical space; rather, it is the warmth and comfort I carry within, regardless of my surroundings," Mrs. Trump recently said of her choice, and I think that's something many of us can relate to.
Related: Christmas at the White House: Home Is Where the Heart Is
But Christmas at the White House hasn't always been such a joyous occasion, especially for the sitting president.
When most people think of Calvin Coolidge and the holiday, they think of 1923, the year of the first National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. On Christmas Eve, the president lit a 48-foot Balsam Fir from Vermont that was decorated with over 2,500 red, white, and green electric bulbs. More than 6,000 people attended to watch and sing Christmas carols together. It was the start of a new American tradition — one we still cherish today, over a century later.
Calvin Coolidge / First National Christmas Tree pic.twitter.com/T5Jzdt2B9v
— Don Draper (@DonDraperClone) December 15, 2025
Coolidge is also widely considered to be the first president to celebrate the "spirit of Christmas" in such a public manner, mostly through photos, radio, and news coverage.
But the year that followed wasn't such a momentous occasion for the president. As a matter of fact, he almost decided to sit it out completely.
On Monday, June 30th, 1924, Coolidge's two sons, John and Calvin, Jr., were playing tennis on the White House tennis courts. Calvin, Jr. was either barefoot or wearing shoes without socks — I've heard the story told both ways — which led to a blister on his toe. What seemed like a harmless ailment turned serious quickly. Calvin, Jr. developed a staph infection, which led to a fever and severe pain. The White House physician diagnosed him with "blood poisoning," and insisted that the president and his wife, Grace, have their youngest son rushed to Walter Reed Hospital for surgery.
Sadly, it was too little too late. Calvin, Jr. died on July 7, just over a week after the tennis match, leaving the first family — and an entire nation — in mourning. According to the Coolidge Foundation, "The Democratic Convention adjourns out of respect for the family. There are services in Washington, Northampton, and Plymouth."
"Calvin, Jr.’s body lay in state in the White House East Room, attended by an honor guard of Marines and sailors. The Boy Scouts decorated his bier, and attended his body as it was taken for burial to the Coolidge family plot in Plymouth Notch, Vermont," according to the Grateful American Foundation.
Many people say that the president and first lady never truly recovered from their son's death, especially the president. He and his son, who was only 16 at the time, were quite close. Coolidge was known for having a "steely" personality, and Calvin, Jr. had been the only person who could tear down the walls and bring out his father's sense of humor. The usually stoic Coolidge reportedly "broke down at his son's side."
So, five months later, when Christmas 1924 rolled around, the nation was, once again, excited about the new National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, though many also recognized the gravity the year held. A record 12,000 people sent Christmas cards to the White House, many using the opportunity to express their condolences..
Initially, the president just felt like he didn't have it in him to participate in such a joyous event and refused. However, he knew that his nation was counting on him and supposedly had a very last-minute change of heart. Just like the year before, Coolidge lit the tree for the thousands that gathered to watch. Afterwards, the crowd sang Christmas carols with a a local church choir and the United States Marine Band. The tree lighting was officially an annual traditional now.
Grace had spent her first Christmas Eve as first lady in 1923 helping the Salvation Army distribute hundreds of food baskets, and she didn't let her son's death stop her from continuing that tradition in 1924 either. While in mourning, she delivered food to the hungry, as well as toys and candy to children in need, and she would continue until her husband left office in 1929.
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Despite forging ahead with their newly created public traditions, it's been said that the holiday was a somber one for the family and understandably so. Coolidge even reportedly wore a black arm band, a sign of mourning, to the tree lighting.
In the years that followed, Calvin and Grace continued to celebrate the holiday season in a way that was far more festive than any first family that came before them. As a matter of fact, one of the president's most famous quotes came from a handwritten "Christmas message to the American people" that the president allowed newspapers to print in 1927, the first official one of its kind. He wrote:
"Christmas is not a time or a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world."
