Everyone down in the US liked Christmas a lot… But President Roosevelt, who lived in the White House, did NOT! Teddy hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
Ok, let’s be fair. Although it’s true that our story somehow resembles that of the beloved Grinch, in fact, President Theodore Roosevelt didn’t really hate Christmas, and more importantly, he was very transparent about the reasons why he decided to ban one of the most iconic elements of the season from the White House, the Christmas tree.
Christmas was just starting to be celebrated as we know it today, and although the tradition of the Christmas tree was already around, it didn’t have the protagonism it would acquire just a couple of years later. Now, as for the White House customs and traditions, there were already records of previous presidents decorating the halls of the Presidential home since 1889. However, it was sporadic, and not all presidents had done so. By the second year of his term, Teddy Roosevelt took a very important decision that he hoped would be replicated all over the US: Christmas trees were officially banned from the White House.
Christmas in the US
Before we go to Grinch Roosevelt’s story, let’s put some context. As we mentioned, Christmas wasn’t the big popular holiday it came to be. In the 1830s, German immigrants started settling in the country bringing their own Christmas traditions, including the famous tree to celebrate the winter solstice. Considered a pagan tradition, it was often frowned upon among religious Americans, and as such, it would take decades for the tree to gain popularity.
Soon, Christmas traditions started to adopt some of the foreign traditions to make the birth of Jesus more of a festive holiday. By the late 19th century, many American households started bringing trees into their homes and decorating them with all sorts of ornaments like candles, fruit, ribbons, and strings of popcorn. The horrors of the Civil War had left an air of sorrow, and these traditions came in perfect time to raise the country’s spirits. That includes, of course, the Roosevelt family.
Teddy bans Christmas trees
Now, Teddy Roosevelt didn’t really hate Christmas traditions; and having six children, it was only natural that the family would do their best to make the holidays a very special time. But above all, he was an idealist with very strong beliefs, and Christmas trees happened to contradict one of his most endeared causes. We’ll go to them shortly.
So, in December 1902, in the second year of his term, Roosevelt gathered his family and staff and announced that Christmas trees were officially banned from the White House. Naturally, a lot of them were shocked, especially his children who loved the tradition, but despite the pleading and negotiation attempts, Roosevelt put his foot down. To be fair, he had a good reason.
Environmental crisis
Theodore Roosevelt was a hopeless environmentalist. As soon as he started his presidency, he started programs that focused on the preservation and conservation of nature in the country. His work came to be known as a ‘nature renaissance,’ and he really pushed his agenda into Congress that ended up protecting over 130 million acres of forest, wildlife refuges, national parks, among others. Naturally, the idea of chopping down trees for just a month of celebration was preposterous for him, and by banning Christmas trees from the White House, Roosevelt thought it would send a clear message to the American people.
“We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation.”
Vive la resistance
Despite Teddy’s good intentions, the news wasn’t that well accepted by some little members of his family, especially his son Archie. Little Archie believed that Christmas trees were essential for the festivity and wasn’t ready to let them go just like that. Together with his younger brother Quentin, he devised a plan he was sure would make his dad change his mind about Christmas trees.
As such, Both children decided to chop one little tree from the White House grounds; they smuggled it into the building and hid it in one of the rooms that basically no one entered ever. As the days went by, the little Roosevelts got to decorate their tree with all sorts of Christmas extravaganza like strings of popcorn, cranberries, ribbons, fruits, stars, paper angels, and tinsel. They were just missing something really special to make their tree unique and mesmerize their father, electricity.
Electricity wasn’t still a common necessity in the country; most people still believed it was a terrible hazard, and those who didn’t believe that, just couldn’t afford it. So, although Christmas lights had already been invented, they weren’t quite popular yet. Still, the Roosevelt boys thought they would really make the difference with their tree, so they decided to reach a White House electrician to ask for help.
Luckily for them, the electrician didn’t ask many questions and help the kids install a nice show of lights into their tree. Their creation was ready. On Christmas Eve, Archie and Quentin asked their parents and siblings to follow them for an amazing surprise. They went into the seamstress closet where they had hidden the tree, and with the power of a switch the lights went on, giving a gorgeous spectacle that astonished the entire Roosevelt family. Well, everybody but Teddy.
“There was a surprise for me, also for their good mother, for Archie had a little birthday tree of his own which he had rigged up with the help of one of the carpenters in a big closet; and we all had to look at the tree and each of us got a present off it.”
Although he thought the intention was sweet, he couldn’t help but feel his authority had been disregarded. He was determined to give his sons an important lesson on why he had taken that decision.
Christmas was saved
To do so, Theodore Roosevelt approached his friend and renowned environmentalist, Gifford Pinchot. He happily went to the White House to speak with Roosevelt’s children about conservation and preservation of the countries natural resources, but to Teddy’s surprise, Pinchot wasn’t that against chopping Christmas trees. According to him, sometimes cutting down big trees actually helps encourage forest growth. Moreover, taking them down helped smaller trees to survive since they would receive more light.
The professional advice Pinchot gave the Roosevelt family, eased Teddy’s worries, so he decided to lift the ban he had on Christmas trees in the White House. Archie and Quentin’s rebellious act ended up saving Christmas in Roosevelt’s household.
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, and he brought back the trees! And the food for the feast! And he, HE HIMSELF! Teddy Roosevelt brought the next Christmas tree!
Well, probably not!
Photos from Wikimedia Commons / White House Historical Association
