Barb's Babbles

  Shaking the president's hand. Have you? Ever? Tell me about it! Calvin Coolidge's New Year's lineup.     PRESIDENTIAL HANDSHAKES ON NEW YEAR’S DAY     For more than a century, New Year’s Day was marked by a large reception held at the White House. Foreign ambassadors and members of the US government were invited, but attendance wasn’t restricted to a guest list. Astoundingly, anyone could wait on line, enter the White House, and shake the hand of the president.  The tradition of the New Year’s reception, or levee, as it was often called, began with George Washington, before the White House was built. The first occupant of the White House, John Adams, took up residence in the unfinished mansion in November 1800, and hosted its first New Year’s reception on January 1, 1801.  A history of the White House published a century ago noted that John and Abigail Adams hosted a “very formal affair”:  The President and his wife did the honors alone that New Year's Day, and it doe

Nineteenth century White House Christmas celebrations were not grand state affairs. Instead, most first families of this era decorated the building with simple wreaths, garlands, and ornaments, and quietly celebrated the holiday. But there were some exceptions. The first White House Christmas party was held in December 1800. President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams gave it for their four-year-old granddaughter Susanna Boylston Adams, who was living with them. They invited government officials and their children to the party. According to family tradition, President Andrew Jackson's 1835 "frolic" for the children of his household was one of the most elaborate parties ever held at the White House. It included games, dancing and a grand dinner, and ended with an indoor "snowball fight" using specially made cotton balls.                                    President Benjamin Harrison placed the first Christmas tree in the White House