News & Politics

PHOTOS: The 2020 White House Christmas Decorations

PHOTOS: The 2020 White House Christmas Decorations
Planes, trains, and automobiles line the walls of the East Room, as part of the White House's 2020 holiday decorations, in a salute to America's history of technology and innovation. Photograph by Dan Swartz
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First Lady Melania Trump chose an “America the Beautiful” theme for the family’s final Christmas at the White House. The 2020 White House Christmas decorations came together over the Thanksgiving weekend thanks to help from more than 125 volunteers from around the country.

This year’s White House Christmas decorations follow a similar Trump design template—clean topiary displays and bold color schemes, in contrast with the more playful Obama arrangements (Lego displays, Bo and Sunny papier-mâché statues). More than 1,200 feet of garland, 3,200 strands of lights, 17,000 bows, and 62 Christmas Trees were used.

As for the traditional Gingerbread House display, the 2020 version is more elaborate than usual. For the first time, the White House’s pastry team assembled a confectionary Rose Garden and First Ladies’ Garden.

Photographer Dan Swartz got an inside look at all the decorations.

white house christmas decorations 2020
The official 2020 White House Christmas tree, a Fraser fir, stands more than 18 feet tall.
white house christmas decorations 2020
This year’s Gingerbread House replicates the West Wing, Executive Residence, East Wing, Rose Garden, and First Ladies’ Garden.
white house christmas decorations 2020
This is the first time the White House pastry team has featured the gardens in confectionery form.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The Cross Hall of the White House connecting the East Room to the State Dining Room.
white house christmas decorations 2020
Above the mantel in the Vermeil Room is Alma Thomas’s abstract painting “Resurrection,” the first work by an African American woman to be acquired for the White House collection.
white house christmas decorations 2020
A “White House Express” model train in the East Room is a nod to America’s first transcontinental railroad.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The 2020 White House Christmas Tree, in the Blue Room, came from Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The Green Room highlights American wildlife, with bird and butterfly ornaments displayed among the greenery.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The China Room, made over to resemble a home kitchen.
white house christmas decorations 2020
Stockings for the First Family, inside the China Room.
white house christmas decorations 2020
More than a hundred wreaths are on display throughout the White House this year.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The East Colonnade is designed to bring the outdoors inside, with foliage representing the official tree of each state and territory.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The official 2020 White House holiday card.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The East Room’s decor is designed to celebrate American innovation and technology.
white house christmas decorations 2020
Masked White House staffers inside the building’s ground-floor corridor.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The Gold Star Family Tree greets guests upon arrival in the East Wing and pays tribute to American military service members and their families.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The Seal of the President of the United States* above the doors to the Blue Room, which houses the official White House Christmas Tree.
white house christmas decorations 2020
A portrait of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who spearheaded a restoration of the White House, hangs in the Vermeil Room.
white house christmas decorations 2020
Model airplanes, including the Wright Flyer and Air Force One, inside the East Room.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The Red Room pays homage to America’s first responders and frontline workers this year, with handmade ornaments highlighting the many professionals and volunteers who have served their communities.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The entrance to the Blue Room as seen from the White House’s Grand Foyer.
white house christmas decorations 2020
A vignette in the window of the Green Room.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The Cross Hall of the White House, as photographed from the State Dining Room.
white house christmas decorations 2020
Garlands hang inside the entrance hall to the East Wing.
white house christmas decorations 2020
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band plays inside the White House’s Grand Foyer.
white house christmas decorations 2020
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, the White House Library spotlights women at the forefront of American achievement.
white house christmas decorations 2020
The White House’s ground floor corridor connecting the Vermeil Room, Library, and China Room.

*Corrected.