I’ve mentioned in the past that one of our Christmas trees is decorated with, among all the other ornaments, every Official White House Christmas ornament that has been released. Claire, and our Christmas tree, gets a new ornament every year.
Each year the ornament commemorates a particular president’s time in the White House. This year’s ornament commemorates President Richard Nixon’s time in office and is in the image of a gingerbread White House.
In 1969, First Lady Pat Nixon started the tradition of an annual gingerbread house on display at the White House. The first gingerbread house was a traditional German style A-frame standing two feet tall and weighing 40 pounds. Years later, White House Chef Roland Messier introduced a gingerbread design that depicted the White House itself — that inspired the design of the Official 2022 White House Ornament. The 2022 ornament is crafted from solid brass in the image of a gingerbread house and features the White House North and South Porticos, adorned with candy canes, mints, gumdrops and swirled accents in white to mimic piped icing. A ribbon hangs below the house, reading “The White House” and “Christmas.”
Of course, Claire likes some year’s ornaments better than others, but this one seems to rank near the top — it’s a great addition to our tree.
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