Christmas with the First Ladies: The White House Decorating Tradition from Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama

by Coleen Christian Burke, Deborah Norville

No home in America celebrates Christmas quite like the White House. Whether adorned with hand-made ornaments or thoughtful crafts, the White House has warmly welcomed celebrities, dignitaries, and hardworking Americans and epitomized the Christmas spirit. And behind each holiday celebration is a First Lady who lends her own style and grace to the festivities. Christmas With the First Ladies is a look at the holiday magic that happens at the White House, capturing the Christmas decorating history and techniques from Jackie Kennedy through Michelle Obama. Each first lady’s design aesthetic is profiled, such as Lady Bird Johnson’s themes of home and family to help heal the nation after John F. Kennedy’s death; Nancy Reagan’s interest in renewing a child-like sense of wonder; and Laura Bush’s “Red, White, and Blue “ Christmas for a nation banding together. With anecdotes and intimate photos of the presidential families during the holiday season, as well as personal craft and recipes used by the first ladies, Christmas With the First Ladies is the perfect centerpiece for holiday gatherings!

Genres: Christmas, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2011

Reviews

[Oksamytka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Надзвичайно цікавою і пізнавальною виявилася книжка декораторки Колін Християн Берк "Різдво з Першими леді. Традиції оздоблення Білого дому від Жаклін Кеннеді до Мішель Обами". Дізналася про те, що:
🌲Саме Жаклін Кеннеді впровадила традицію щороку обирати різдвяну тему, першою була тема "Лускунчик"
🌲Леді Берд Джонсон прикрашала ялинки гірляндами з поп-корну (взяла собі на замітку💯)
🌲Пряниковий будиночок з'явився при Пет Ніксон, який зробив помічник шеф-кухаря Ганс Рафферті у пам'ять про його німецьке коріння і казку "Гензель і Гретель"
🌲Пет Ніксон запровадила екскурсії при свічках у Білому домі і повісила на вікна великі вінки з червоними бантами і свічками
🌲Бетті Форд популяризувала печворк і квілтінг, а ще ввела традицію журавлинного дерева як центральної прикраси столу, яку порушила після 33 років лише Мішель Обама
🌲Завдяки Ненсі Рейган у Білому домі з'явилися ведмедики Тедді, лялькові будиночки, шишки і сніжинки з фольги
🌲Барбара Буш захоплювалася літературою, і тому на ялинках були персонажі з дитячих книжок. Вона бажала усім "щасливого Різдва і приємного читання"
🌲Мініатюрні копії будинків президентів були на ялинках при Лорі Буш, а також шеф-кухар зробив шоколадну фабрику Віллі Вонка, а ще вона любила штучні топіарії у відрах з-під шампанського
▫️
Записала собі у блокнот фірмові рецепти Перших леді:
❤️Різдвяне журавлинне желе від Леді Берд Джонсон
❤️Мавпячий хліб від Ненсі Рейган

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was no War on Christmas! This is a great compilation of photos and stories from the Kennedys through the Obama years. Well researched and fun to read from an insider. Great gift and table top book.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Найдивніше, що я дізналася з книги - в США були популярні гірлянди на ялинку з попкорну!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great fun…. Christmas decorating at a presidential level…. I was especially impressed with Mrs. Kennedy’s ideas…always understated and classy…. The children’s party, working with Hallmark for an official card for sale, I would have loved a box of those cards. All the First Ladies had interesting ideas. Since I like shiny things, I loved Reagan’s tinsel laden trees and Bush’s white shimmery trees were gorgeous. Obama’s trees looked like my own with color themes. It is nice to know that many decorations have been commissioned by non-profit organizations and children’s groups. I am sure it is quite the honor to know where their handiwork went to. A book to take out and peruse every Christmas. I wish there were more photos!

[Cathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a terrific book, if you enjoy lovely photos (funny ones, too--think of Nancy Reagan sitting on Mr. T's lap) and reading about some of the behind-the-scenes stories of White House Christmases. Whether I really like certain presidents and their families or not, I love learning more about them, especially their quirks which make them so interesting. This book definitely reminded me just how human our former leaders and their wives were, and that just makes them more likable to me.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok book, nothing great. Glad I got it from a thrift store & didn't have to pay the $29.95 price tag noted on the publishers book cover. The only story that truly touched my heart was the one provided by Laura Bush...the White House Christmas after 9/11.

[Jennie Morton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice to peruse. Written a little breathlessly like a TV holiday special, but it was good to learn how much work goes into a White House Christmas. I do not envy any First Lady and her staff!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#132 of 135 books pledged to read during 2022

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book, I really enjoyed it.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty cool little book, providing insight to the Christmases the First Ladies have hosted in the White House since Jackie Kennedy. There were some neat factoids in here, such as the fact that Pat Nixon had the first ramps installed in the White House so people with physical disabilities could participate in the tours, or Betty Ford received a paycheck from the SAG for her appearance on the Mary Tyler Moore show (which she donated), and several other interesting things. It was a fun, quick read, but the crafts inside were kind of crappy, in my opinion. The instructions were vague on a lot of stuff, so vague that I often thought the author could have simply said "you can make a decoration by sticking some cranberries in a foam cone" instead of dedicating an entire page to it. Or "spray paint some stuff silver and put it in a bowl, Laura Bush would have liked that." My library's website put emphasis on the fact that this book included crafts, and really, they're barely worth mentioning.

[Kvitoslava Svitlytska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Чудова ідея книги, надзвичайне оформлення та гарні світлини!
Прекрасний новорічно-різдвяний подарунок вашим близьким.
Цікаво і легко читати.
Місцями текст вирваний з контексту, але це не впливає на загальне позитивне враження про книгу.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love having a nosy at how other people decorate for Christmas as it gives me ideas on what I can do. A beautiful book with great pics.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun.