Saturday, December 22, 2012

A White House Christmas Gallery: The Carter Years

President Jimmy Carter and the First Family at Christmas, December 20, 1977.

The Carter Holidays

In 1977, Mrs. Carter decided the holiday would be a simple Georgian Christmas and set the theme as “Classic American Christmas”. Ornaments were crafted using all natural materials such as wood, pinecones, and even peanuts. Charming paper-cone ornaments were filled with dried flowers and trinkets. The following year, the theme “Antique Toys” was chosen with Amy Carter clearly in mind. The Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum loaned the White House over twenty-five hundred antique toys. In 1979, the theme was “American Folk Art of the Colonial Period” and the students of the Corcoran School of Art created ornaments such as white needlework snowflakes, along with ceramic and wood decorative pieces. The theme for 1980 was “Old Fashion Victorian Christmas” and the tree was decorated in shades of muted mauves and pinks with large porcelain dolls and a variety of faux flowers. (Photos courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum)

Rosalynn Carter touring the White House Christmas decorations with her grandchildren, Jason and Sarah Carter, December 15, 1980.

Jimmy Carter lighting the National Menorah at Lafayette Park with Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, December 17, 1979.

A glimpse of a Christmas tree in the Blue Room, December 1979.

Christmas tree in the Blue Room, December 1980.

Rosalynn Carter previewing the 1979 White House Christmas decorations, December 10, 1979.

Rosalynn Carter previewing the 1978 White House Christmas decorations, December 12, 1978.

Handmade ornaments reflecting the Classic American Christmas, 1977.

Handmade ornaments reflecting the Classic American Christmas, 1977.


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