History of White House Christmas Cards

      White House Christmas Cards History.

Wouldn’t it be great to receive a greeting card from the White House? I think I’d flip. My husband would have to revive me if that were to happen.

The act of sending greeting cards over the holiday season began with President Coolidge. At that time, people all over the United States had begun the tradition, and it’s still in practice.

President Hoover, in 1930-31, sent greeting cards to friends and family with pictures included! So he was in the Christmas spirit even in office.

 FDR introduced more of a stylized Christmas card in 1937 which was provided by the distinguished Brewood Engravers. The single-sided FDR offering was a small, three by four inch, lithograph of a snow covered farm with two red barns and two green fir trees. The inscription said simply, "Christmas 1937."

In 1942 the Roosevelt’s were seated for a black and white photograph. The greeting read: "With Christmas Greetings and our Best Wishes for a Happier New Year."

The Truman’s had larger and smaller cards.

Throughout the remainder of the Eisenhower years the Presidential Seal was the single stark feature on the front of the cards. "The President and Mrs. Eisenhower extend their best wishes for Christmas and the New Year."

In 1961 President John Kennedy also incorporated the dramatic Presidential Seal for the White House Christmas cards. The card used a smooth white stock with a bold green silk border, and used the words, "Season's Greetings 1961," on the front. Inside the card the president and Mrs. Kennedy extended wishes for a "Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year."

Every president since has added a special twist their greeting, and the tradition continues. A card now from the Kennedy’s would sell on the market for about $11,000.00

My information came from the White House historical site.

Interesting, isn't it?

Barb

      Barb's Books

Holiday Ideas-why not!

 

    Greetings! Let's see who bugs you the most during the season and write about it, shall we?

Let’s look for new ideas by observing your relatives during the holiday season. What has always bugged you? Here is a list of irritants and annoyances. 

 

Here is a list:

1.    The mole on the persons cheek has hair growing and it’s either hilarious or horrible to look at and you’re sitting next to the person.

2.    You always get stuck next to your elderly great aunt who keeps patting your hand and telling you that you’re a good girl or boy.

3.    Who is always asking if so and so has a boyfriend/girlfriend or what are the marriage plans?

4.    You love your grandma, but she can’t hear worth a darn so you have to speak up all the time.  Then, there’s the time you asked if she’d like a refill of coffee and she didn’t hear you and it took about five times of raising your voice, before she did. While fetching the coffee, someone politely and softly asked if she’d like a cookie and Grandma heard the person. 

5.    Or, you wanted to sit by your favored niece or nephew, but they didn’t attend.

The list of course is endless and can easily be written into scenes in your writing whether it’s fiction or not. 

 

I had an aunt

who always called me Bev.

I did really love her

in spite of it.

A cousin in-law used to call me

the Jolly Green Giant

because I was tall and the bridesmaid dress,

was green with a pillbox hat.

I personally thought 

a string bean 

was better. 

Barbara Schlichting 

What I just wrote, is true.  My husband’s aunt who is now deceased could never get it through her head that my name was Barb. I corrected her many times, however, it never stuck. I had been a bridesmaid for my cousin when I was sixteen, tall and very thin. That’s what a cousin’s husband called me, the Jolly Green Giant. Don’t you think a string bean is better?

Go ahead and write in those annoyances and irritants, it’s well deserved!

Please leave a comment so that we can get to know each other better and share this to all of your writer friends and family. 

Barb

website    Facebook.   Instagram