Christmas Trees

Speaking of Theodore Roosevelt, did you know he was a serious conservationist? During his term, he established 150 national forests, so it came as no surprise when he refused to allow the Christmas tree tradition in the White House as he considered it contributed to deforestation.

Despite his efforts, a Christmas tree still found its way in the White house. Archibald, the president’s son who was only eight at the time, enlisted the help of the staff to sneak a tiny tree in a closet. He later revealed it in 1902 on Christmas Day, along with presents for his whole family. We really wonder how Theodore Roosevelt reacted to this surprise.

Concerts

Here’s a formerly long-standing tradition that was first band and eventually lost. For more than 90 years, the White House lawn hosted the Marine Band every Saturday in the summer for outdoor concerts. In the 1870s, Ulysses Grant and his wife even mingled with the public.

The event was put on hold in 1862 after Abraham Lincoln’s 11-year-old son just died as his wife banned the concerts that summer. Instead of picking up where they left off in the following year, they were moved to Lafayette Square. In 1864, the summer concerts returned to the White House, but by the 1930s the tradition ended for good.