President John F. Kennedy’s family spent two Christmases at the White House before his presidency and his life were cut short by his assassination in Dallas, Texas, in 1963.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy established the tradition of selecting a theme for the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room in 1961, her husband’s first year in office, modeling the tree decorations after “The Nutcracker” ballet.

President Kennedy was supposed to light the National Christmas Tree that year, following an older tradition established by Calvin Coolidge in 1923, but could not attend because his father had suffered a stroke. 

The following year, he led the annual tree lighting ceremony. 

“This has been a year of peril when the peace has been sorely threatened. But it has been a year when peril was faced and when reason ruled,” Kennedy said, against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War.

First Lady Nancy Reagan was charged with choosing the theme for White House’s official Christmas tree for eight years through President Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The 1987 holiday was marked with a “musical” tree, which was covered in miniature instruments and sheet music. The next year, 300 wood candles were carved by carpenters for her “old fashioned” tree, which reused ornaments from the years when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President.

The Obamas hosted eight White House Christmases during President Barack Obama’s two terms. During her first Christmas in the White House in 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama sought to include as many people as possible from around the country in the decorations. She asked 60 local community groups around the U.S. to "Reflect, Rejoice, Renew," and help redecorate 800 ornaments from former Administrations. The ornaments commemorated local landmarks of the chosen communities, such as the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore.

First Lady Melania Trump’s decision to line the East colonnade with 40 red topiary trees in 2018, her husband’s second year in office, was controversial for straying from traditional Christmas decor. “Everybody has a different taste,” she said following the reveal of that year’s White House decor. 

In later years, however, she has followed a more classic approach. This year, the White House Christmas theme is “Home Is Where The Heart Is.”

“The First Lady’s creative inspiration is drawn from the joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business,” a White House press release states. The decorations include a Lego portrait of President Donald Trump, 120 pounds of gingerbread, and more than 10,000 butterflies.