In early December, my wife and son, and his fiancé, flew down to Washington, D.C. to take an official tour of the White House holiday decorations. It was a wonderful experience seeing the Executive Mansion decorated to the hilt with dazzling Christmas displays in every room. We also spent a long weekend enjoying other holiday happenings in D.C., such as the National Christmas Tree and the National Menorah.
In the following article, I’ll walk you through a brief history of holidays at the White House, how to get tickets to the White House holiday tour, what to expect before and during the tour, and where to visit must-see holiday-related sites. I’ll even tell you where to get the best official White House holiday souvenirs (hint: it’s not the White House).
When did they first decorate the White House for the holidays?
According to the White House Historical Association, decorations in the White House before the 20th century were private affairs featuring modest holiday greens and celebrated by the president and family and friends.
The first Christmas tree that was brought into the White House was overseen by President Benjamin Harrison in 1889, which was relegated to the privacy of the second floor. The first electric lights to adorn a Christmas tree in the White House occurred in 1894 during the presidency of Grover Cleveland. The first Christmas tree to be seen by the public occurred in 1912 during the William Taft presidency. It was placed in the Blue Room and was decorated by Taft’s children. And it was President John F. Kennedy’s wife, First Lady Jacqueline, who first introduced the concept of a theme for the official White House decorations. She chose the Nutcracker Suite. The ornaments on their tree were made by disabled volunteers and senior citizen craftspeople across the U.S.
How do I get tickets to see the White House during the holiday season?
Members of the public are always welcome to enjoy the holiday decorations at the White House but you must have an official ticket to do so. Constituents can obtain tickets from their members of Congress, who can be reached through the U.S. House of Representatives Switchboard at 202-225-3121, the U.S. Senate Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or online at www.congress.gov/members. Foreign citizens interested in a White House tour must contact their embassy in Washington, D.C. for assistance.
Public tours are typically available Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm., excluding Federal holidays, and are free. Once your tour is confirmed, you will receive an email assigning you a specific date and time.
Where do I go to begin my White House tour?
The White House tour entrance is located in Sherman Park at 15th Street NW and Alexander Hamilton Place NW. If arriving via rideshare, like Uber or Lyft, use the White House Visitor Center (WHVC) as the drop-off address. The WHVC is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20230, which is one block from the White House. Be aware that there are no restrooms at the White House so you may want to go to the visitor center if you need to use one. The visitor center is a must-see, but more on that later.
There is no parking at the White House so public transportation, a rideshare, taxi, or walking is the only way to get to your tour. Once you arrive at the Sherman Park tour entrance, you will likely see a line of people already in place as well as a group of Secret Service agents who are there to provide security, answer any questions you may have, and guide you through the initial checkpoints.
Where do I need to attend the White House tour?
IMPORTANT: If you are 18 or older and a U.S. citizen, or a foreign national, including children, you must present a valid, government-issued photo ID upon arrival. The following are accepted forms of I.D. for both.
U.S. citizens
- United States Driver’s License
- Valid United States Passport
- United States Military ID
Foreign national
- Valid Passport
- Alien Registration Card
- Permanent Resident Card
- U.S. State Department Issued Diplomatic ID Card
- A U.S. driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification for foreign nationals. No foreign-issued state IDs, foreign-issued driver’s licenses, expired passports, photocopies, other transmissions of these documents, or other forms of identification will be accepted. Individuals without acceptable identification, or whose identification does not exactly match the information previously registered, may be denied entry.
What is not allowed on the White House tour?
Equally important to know is what not to bring. The following are prohibited at the White House.
Prohibited Items
- Aerosols
- Ammunition
- Bags of any kind (including fanny packs and clutches)
- Cameras with detachable lenses
- Electric stun guns
- E-cigarettes
- Fireworks
- Flags
- Food
- Guns
- Knives of any kind
- Lighters
- Liquids
- Mace
- Martial arts
- Monopods
- Signs
- Strollers
- Tablets
- Tripods
- Tobacco Products
- Toy Weapons
- Video cameras
- Weapons/devices
- Any pointed object
- Any other item determined to be a potential safety hazard
Please note that storage facilities are not provided during your visit. Individuals who arrive with bags or prohibited items will not be allowed to enter the White House.
You can bring a cell phone, baby carrier if worn on the body, baby wipes, breast pumps, compact cameras with lenses less than three inches, diapers, umbrellas without metal tips, wallets and items required for medical purposes, like an Epi-pen, or wheelchair. And if you do need to use a wheelchair, the White House simply asks that you inform a secret service agent upon your arrival.
Where do I get in line for the White House tour?
Once you arrive at the White House tour entrance, you’ll need to get in line, outside. So pay close attention to the weather forecast and dress appropriately. As you wind your way up to the White House, you’ll go through a checkpoint where they’ll search you and confirm you’re on the list. This is where you’ll need your I.D. If you don’t have the proper identification, you won’t get in. Also, you cannot get in if you’re late. No exceptions.
What will I see on the White House tour?
Guests first enter the East Wing of the White House, where this year they’ll see a Christmas tree that appears to be going straight through the roof. The intent is for you to gaze up at the tree from underneath as you might have looked at your Christmas tree as a child. It’s a wonderful bit of decorating and a promising start to the tour.
Once inside, you’ll be given a booklet/keepsake related to the year’s theme. The 2023 theme was picked by First Lady Jill Biden and is “Magic, Wonder, & Joy,” which was “inspired by how children experience this festive season.” The booklet is a nice keepsake of your visit as it features overviews of each room’s particular theme, a holiday recipe, a White House holiday kaleidoscope as well as some historical information about Christmas at the White House. And if you want the guide but weren’t able to get to the White House this year, you can download it here! For those who want to keep their booklet intact, but still want to make the kaleidoscope, I recommend downloading the PDF, printing it on a color printer, if you have one, and cutting that up instead of your keepsake.
The first Christmas tree you’ll see on the tour is the Gold Star Tree, which is filled with wooden Gold Star ornaments that are engraved with the names of service members who have laid down their lives for our country, are Missing in Action, as well as the families that carry on their legacies.
As you move through the East Wing, you’ll see an amazing display of holiday candies and sweets that float above you, which is intended to remind children and families of the unique flavors of the holidays. From there, you’ll make your way through the White House, room by room, with each decorated with its own theme. You’ll move through the ground floor corridor, the library, the Vermeil Room, the China Room, the East Room, the Green Room, The Blue Room, the Red Room and the State Dining Room, where you’ll get to see this year’s official White House Gingerbread House. An annual tradition since 1969 when Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert created the first house made of gingerbread in a traditional German A-frame style, this year’s gingerbread house was inspired by the 200th anniversary of the publication of “Twas’ the Night Before Christmas” by author Clement Moore. The display includes a sugar cookie replica of the famous book as well as Santa’s sleigh flying above the White House grounds. Finally, you’ll close out the tour by going through Cross Hall into the Grand Foyer, which was my favorite room.
The amazing decorations in the Grand Foyer are topped by a fantastic recreation of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which features Santa guiding his reindeer through the night. And while in the room, take a peek to the right, where you’ll see the grand staircase. This is where the president and first lady come down from their private quarters to begin their day in the White House.
Along the way, there’ll be a gift “stand” with one or two attendants who have a limited number of souvenirs for you to choose from to purchase. When we were there, they actually ran out of certain items. But have no fear, the visitor center is near! (still more on that later). And they have plenty of souvenirs in stock.
While the tour is self-guided, there are subject matter experts in every room to answer all your questions. My son and I were quizzing them about the presidential portraits in each room and kudos to our guides, they got them all correct!
As you exit the White House, you’ll walk down the long driveway seen in so many iconic photographs. As my wonderful future daughter-in-law pointed out, it makes for a perfect photo of the White House as a backdrop so take advantage of this particular Kodak moment and grab a selfie of the White House and those in your tour.
Where can I get a White House souvenir?
Once you leave the White House behind, I highly recommend you take a one-block trek down to the White House Visitor Center, which is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20230. Once past the security checkpoint, you’ll enter a robust gift shop with a large assortment of official White House holiday and non-holiday items. There is also a very interesting self-guided display and video that provides some history of the White House.
I try to buy a Christmas ornament where ever I travel and bought two in the gift shop after my White House tour. Each year the White House Historical Association releases an official White House ornament. They’ve been doing this since 1981. Each ornament is an homage to past White House Christmas celebrations with this year honoring the presidency of Gerald Ford. I was also compelled to buy the official ornament from 2022 because it’s in the shape of the actual White House and when you open the box it comes in, it smells like gingerbread. They’ve included First Lady Nancy Reagan’s gingerbread recipe so there’s the connection. And, if you buy one ornament ($24.95) they will give you 2022’s for $5. I couldn’t pass up that deal! I also got a beautiful metal bookmark that looked like one of the doors in the White House decorated with a wreath. If you are a Christmas enthusiast like me, you will not want to miss the visitor center gift shop!
What else can I see in Washington, D.C. during the holidays?
There are a plethora of things to do during your visit to Washington, D.C. during the holiday season. In addition to all the wonderful museums and monuments that are free and open to the public, you can pay a visit to the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse of the White House. It is free with no ticket required. Once you arrive at the grounds, you will see a fenced in pathway, which this year is also filled with smaller trees decorated and representing every state. You can walk around the main tree and listen to holiday tunes playing through speakers that line the path. There is no security checkpoint and no line, so you can simply walk in and view the tree.
And if you look across the lawn, you will see the National Menorah, which was first lit this year on December 7. It makes for a wonderful day or nighttime visit. But there’s also decorations and Christmas trees seemingly around every corner of the city that make walking through D.C. a holiday delight.
Related information
For more things to do during the holidays in Washington, D.C., click here.
And if you can’t make it to the White House this year, you can still view photos of all the decorations in every room by clicking here.
HGTV and CSPAN also broadcast shows devoted exclusively to the White House decorations. The HGTV show featured the Property Brothers. Check your local listings and on-demand feature for these particular episodes.
Chris LaFontaine has been a Christmas enthusiast since opening his first Christmas present and after helping to decorate his first Christmas tree. He created Christmaseveryminute.com for those who want to celebrate Christmas a little longer, a little earlier, or every day. You can contact him at celebratechristmaseveryminute@gmail.com to talk all things Christmas, submit your Christmas-themed photos for publishing consideration or to simply share a Christmas story with website readers.
