Let's get in the holiday spirit! The List’s Donna Ruko has 5 Things You Didn't Know about a white house Christmas.
- President Benjamin Harrison brought the first Christmas tree to the white house in 1889.
- President teddy Roosevelt was a staunch conservationist who opposed the idea of chopping down a tree as a Christmas decoration, but his son Archie did it anyway, decorating a small tree and sneaking it in a closet. He eventually lifted the ban... Because he was as cuddly as a stuffed bear.
- First lady Jackie Kennedy began the tradition of theming Christmases at the white house. She started in 1961 by decorating the tree with toys, birds and angels -- inspired by The Nut Cracker Suite.
- A chainsaw is a Christmas gift you should never give to a ten year old. But in 1977, a South Carolina company did just that, sending Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy, a chainsaw for Christmas. Supposedly a young friend of hers reported she "she liked the way they work." a White House spokeswoman later clarified saying "I think Amy might have said train set, not chain saw"
- First lady Laura Bush started another tradition in 2002 -- sending the *first dog through the white house to show off the holiday decor. The Obamas dog Bo subsequently kept up the tradition.
And that's five things you didn't know, about Christmas at the White House.
