From the very first White House Christmas party — held in December 1800 by President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams, for government officials and their families — to this year’s public celebration of “Magic, Wonder and Joy,” during which more than 100,000 visitors are expected to stop by, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has hosted historic holiday festivities, both literally and figuratively. Grab a cup of cocoa and join us in revisiting some of its most memorable contemporary decorations, like 2023’s “Magic Under the Tree” illusion, above, in which a towering evergreen seems to be growing through the East Portico’s roof.

The season’s most joyful and wondrous decor might be the eight tiny reindeer pulling a sleigh through the Grand Foyer — no mean feat, given the White House is also a working museum and seasonal decorators are strictly forbidden to alter it. This ingenious display celebrates the 200th anniversary of Clement Clarke Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas — better known by its iconic opening words, “’Twas the night before Christmas.”

In 2022, guests were welcomed back into the White House for the first time since the pandemic — and so 2022's “We the People” theme was only fitting. Here in the Grand Foyer and throughout the building, the First Lady chose mirrored decorations and ornaments so visitors could "see themselves" in its rooms.

As the largest room in the White House, the East Room hosted the biggest of 2021’s holiday "gifts" — the "Gift of Gratitude," represented by trees adorned with handwritten notes and oversized replicas of holiday cards. As the White House’s virtual tour guide put it, “Whether it is penning a thank you card, sending a sweet text with a heart emoji or dropping off muffins on a neighbor’s front porch, these expressions of gratitude heal our hearts and bring us together.”