Franklin D. Roosevelt participated in many Christmas traditions with his family and White House staff during his time in office.
Roosevelt was born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York, and called it home his entire life.
The beginning of Roosevelt’s era in politics began in 1910, when he was elected to the New York Senate.
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Shortly thereafter, in 1912, he became chairman of the New York State Senate Committee on Forestry.
At this time, he began planting trees on his land, which he continued to do for 34 years, according to the National Park Service website.
During President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s term, thousands of trees were planted each year on his land in Hyde Park, New York. (New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
By the 1930s, President Roosevelt had developed a rhythm of planting 20,000 to 55,000 trees on his land each year, according to the National Park Service.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, President Roosevelt began growing Christmas trees at his Hyde Park mansion in the 1930s.
According to the National Park Service, some of the Christmas trees grown on the property were sent to Winston Churchill.
Each year, 25 million to 30 million Christmas trees are cut down and displayed in homes and businesses across the United States.
During Roosevelt’s presidency, the holiday spirit was in full effect at the White House.
President Roosevelt, who spent 12 years in office as the longest-serving US president, spent many of his Christmases in the White House in the same way.
Roosevelt placed great emphasis on Christmas celebrations each year. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
President Roosevelt has spent 10 consecutive Christmases at the White House, the last two at his home in Hyde Park, according to the White House Historical Association.
Sources said President Roosevelt’s Christmas traditions included a Christmas Eve party held by the president and first lady for White House staff and the lighting of the National Christmas Tree.
It was in 1933 that Roosevelt delivered his first Christmas message to the nation, a “Fireside Chat.”
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On Christmas mornings, the president often attended church services with his family and spent time opening presents with his grandchildren.
According to the White House Historical Society, the annual Christmas feast includes dishes such as roasted turkey, chestnut dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pineapple salad, and desserts include plum pudding, eggnog, ice cream, and cake. It is said that it included.
During his presidency, Roosevelt vacationed with his growing family. (Getty Images)
Roosevelt’s long tenure included such catastrophic events in history as the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, and World War II.
Over the years of turmoil, Christmas traditions have seen changes. For example, during World War II, four of President Roosevelt’s sons served in the military, and the family was scattered around the world, according to the White House Historical Association.
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According to the White House Association, a gift handed out to employees at a White House holiday gathering in 1942 was “a black leather folder filled with war savings bonds.” In 1944, scrolls containing the President’s “D-Day” prayers were distributed to employees.
President Roosevelt’s last Christmas message was delivered from his home in Hyde Park in 1944.
“We pray that with victory a new day of peace will come upon the earth, when all the nations of the earth will be united forever. That is the spirit of Christmas, that holy day. That spirit lives on all over the world. , may it grow for many years to come,” he said, according to the White House Association.
