Rosalynn Carter: Classic American Christmas

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)