3,10,17,24 Advent - Sundays - ChristianInterfaith Calendar
6 St. Nicholas Day - Christian
8 Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) - Buddhism
Immaculate Conception of Mary - Catholic Christian
12 Feast day - Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Christian
16-23 Hanukkah - Jewish
16-25 Posadas Navidenas - Hispanic Christian
21 Yule - Christian
St. Thomas Day - Christian
22 Yule - Wicca/Neo Pagan northern hemisphere
Litha - Wicca Neo-Pagan southern hemisphere
Winter Solstice - Secular
24 Christmas Eve - Christian
25 Christmas - Christian
Feast of the Nativity - Orthodox Christian
26 Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra) Zoroastrian
St Stephen's Day - Christian
28 Holy Innocents - Christian
29 Hajj begins - Islam
30 Waqf al Arafa (Hajj Day) - Islam
31 Watch Night - Christian
Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian
Eid al Adha - Islam
**This list of holidays is to say that Christmas is not the only holiday represented in the US in December, but it is the one acknowledged by our White House.
Definitions of Holidays
Presidential Message, Christmas 2006, "For unto us a child is born ... and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.Oh, and the White House sez, Deck the Halls and Welcome All Take the Christmas tour at the White House in Washington, D.C. They probably won't even try to convert you, and certainly not if you're already born-again.
Origins of White House Decorations
"The first Christmas tree to appear in the White House was erected in 1856 by President Franklin Pierce. The first truly national Christmas tree was inaugurated by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913, but it was not until President Calvin Coolidge moved the tree to its present location near the White House - and ceremoniously switched on the newly installed electric lights - that the idea of an "official" tree took hold."
Brief History - White House Christmas Trees
"The White House led the way to trees for the holidays. The first American President to show-off his White House tree was Franklin Pierce [1856]. Benjamin Harrison declared his White House tree to be part of an old-fashioned American tradition in 1889. By the 1880's the Christmas tree market was large. In the following decades large numbers of wild trees were harvested from the native forests. Theodore Roosevelt decided for the sake of forest conservation that the White House would not have a tree. His two sons snuck a small tree into their room and were caught, to the embarrassment of their father."
Nativity Scene
There is a nativity scene in the East Room of the White House. It is an historic 18th century Italian Crésche donated to the White House over 30 years ago.
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