The 2011 White House Christmas ornament honors the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt took office on September 14, 1901, upon the death of President William McKinley, who had been shot by an assassin eight days earlier. In one of his earliest acts as president, he issued an executive order establishing “The White House” as the official name of the presidential residence previously referred to formally as either the “President’s House” or the “Executive Mansion.”
The 2011 ornament reflects the excitement that President Roosevelt, his wife Edith, and their lively young family brought to life at the White House. With the arrival of the Roosevelts, six children would call the White House “home”: Alice (17, TR’s daughter from his first marriage); Theodore Jr. (14); Kermit (12); Ethel (10); Archibald (7); and Quentin (4). The front face of the ornament is a colorful illustration derived from a political cartoon drawn by William A. Rogers in 1901. Capturing the anticipation associated with the family’s first White House Christmas, a jolly Santa Claus crosses the snow-covered North Lawn carrying a large bag of toys over his shoulder and announces, “I hear that there are some kids in the White House this year.”
The reverse side of the 2011 ornament features a second color image inspired by a period illustration. It captures the moment in 1903, when young Archie reveals to his family a Christmas tree he had hidden in a seamstress’ closet in the White House. The tree defied the president’s ban, and its discovery became a popular Christmas story that ran in Ladies Home Journal underscoring the simplicity of the Roosevelt family’s Christmas decorations and the president’s conservation ethic. Holly and candles motifs illustrating the articles inspired the design of the 2011 ornament’s gold-plated brass frame.
Product Features
- Made in the U.S.A
- 24kt Gold-Plated Solid Brass
- Honors 26th President Theodore Roosevelt
- Double-Sided Decoration
- Gift-Boxed with Information Brochure included.
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