December 11, 2012 to January 2, 2013
A Collection of Presidential Christmas Cards
Few Christmas cards are as carefully wrought as those sent by the President of the United States.
The first official White House holiday greeting was sent by President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. Since that time Hallmark Cards, Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri, has had the honor of making Christmas cards for many of the presidents.
Most of the official holiday greetings are formal in design. With the exception of the cards sent by President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford in 1975 and 1976, all incorporate the presidential seal or The White House in the design. Only one, the 1962 card of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, features a photograph. Shown here are the cards from each administration beginning with that of President Eisenhower and ending with that of President George W. Bush. Also on display are President and Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton's holiday cards as designed by American Greetings. As with Hallmark's Kennedy cards, the first Clinton holiday card featured a photograph.
Location: Great Room.