Written on White House stationary in his own hand in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge issued the first official Christmas message to the American people. As a response to numerous requests for the President to send a holiday greeting, President Coolidge asked newspapers across the United States to publish his holiday greeting to the American people. Although he didn't speak, he participated in the first ceremonial tree lighting for the event now known as the Pageant of Peace.
President Eisenhower expanded the list of Presidential Christmas cards recipients significantly in 1953; the President sent season’s greetings to American ambassadors abroad, members of the Cabinet and Congress, foreign heads of state and government officials. Thereafter, the official Presidential Holiday Greeting was the White House Christmas card.
The President agreed with Mrs. Johnson that a reproduction of Robert Laessig’s interior painting of the Christmas tree in the Blue Room was a great choice for the official White House Christmas card in 1967. The President and Mrs. Johnson sent 2,600 cards.
A reproduction of a painting N.C. Wyeth created in 1930 for a patriotic poster for the Pennsylvania Railroad was the Nixon’s official 1971 Christmas card. The card depicted President Washington and architect James Hoban inspecting the uncompleted White House in 1798.
After the renovation of the Blue Room in the White House, the President and Mrs. Clinton asked Thomas McKnight to provide an artistic image of the Blue Room for their official 1995 Christmas cards. The "Fantasy Blue Room" depicted a cozy room with the Christmas tree in the corner and the White House animals sleeping underneath.
Artist Adrian Martinez of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, designed the 2001 holiday card which features the Second Floor Corridor of the White House with Mary Cassatt's 1908 painting, Young Mother and Two Children. Mrs. Bush selected the Psalm for the card on September 16. At Camp David, the chaplain based his sermon on the Psalm, which was outlined in the lectionary for that September Sunday.
Inside there is the Presidential Seal in gold and the words, "For the Lord is Good; His Mercy is Everlasting; and His Truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100:5, followed by the caption in beautiful calligraphy: May love and peace fill your heart and home during this holiday season and throughout the New Year. 2002
The back of the card identifies the picture as an Oil on canvas, 40" x 30" by Zhen-Huan Lu and the subject is a 1938 Stenway Piano in the Grand Foyer of the White house, 2002.
