InsideSources

For nearly 220 years, Christmas has been celebrated in the White House with presidential flair. From low key affairs in the early days of our democracy to today’s decorating extravaganzas, how the holiday was observed varied widely among the families that called 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home.

Take the quiz below and test your knowledge of Christmas trivia at America’s most famous residence:

 

Which president placed the first Christmas tree in the White House, putting it in the Yellow Oval Room and decorating it with toys for his grandchildren?

A.  Thomas Jefferson (1803)

B.   Martin Van Buren (1838)

C.   Benjamin Harrison (1889)

D.  William McKinley (1898)

 

Which president read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to his small army of grandchildren on Christmas Eve?

A.  Grover Cleveland

B.   Franklin Roosevelt

C.   Dwight Eisenhower

D.  Jimmy Carter

 

One president, a famous conservationist, supposedly banned Christmas trees from the White House because he opposed cutting down live trees for that purpose. His young son smuggled in a small tree and hid it in an upstairs closet. Who was that president?

A. James Madison

B. James Buchanan

C. James Garfield

D. Theodore Roosevelt

 

Which president threw one of the most elaborate Christmas parties ever, a “frolic” for his grandchildren that included dancing, a banquet, and a giant indoor snowball fight utilizing specially made cotton “snowballs”?

 A. Andrew Jackson (1835)

B.  James Polk (1846)

C.   Millard Fillmore (1852)

D.   Andrew Johnson (1867)

 

Which president first placed electric lights on a Christmas tree?

A.  Ulysses Grant (1876)

B.   Grover Cleveland (1894)

C.   William McKinley (1899)

D.  William Howard Taft (1909)

 

In perhaps the worst White House holiday season ever, a fire broke out in the West Wing during a White House children’s party on Christmas Eve. Who was president during the blaze?

A.  Theodore Roosevelt (1902)

B.   Warren Harding (1921)

C.   Herbert Hoover (1929)

D.  Harry Truman (1949)

 

Which first lady began the tradition of creating an official White House Christmas Tree Ornament each holiday?

A.  Lucy Hayes

B.   Ida McKinley

C.   Eleanor Roosevelt

D.  Nancy Reagan

 

Which first lady began the tradition of selecting a theme for the official White House Christmas Tree?

A.  Eleanor Roosevelt

B.   Bess Truman

C.   Mamie Eisenhower

D.  Jacqueline Kennedy

 

Which president first presided over the lighting of the National Christmas Tree?

A. Warren Harding

B.  Calvin Coolidge

C.  Herbert Hoover

D.  Franklin Roosevelt

 

Which first couple are believed to have hosted the first-ever White House Christmas party (for their four year-old granddaughter)?

A.  George and Martha Washington (1795)

B.   John and Abigail Adams (1800)

C.   James and Dolley Madison (1814)

D.  Abraham and Mary Lincoln (1862)

 

Answers: 1-C, 2-B, 3-D, 4-A, 5-B, 6-C, 7-D, 8-D, 9-B, 10-B  

America is saying goodbye to George Herbert Walker Bush. A generation has passed since he left the Oval Office, providing fresh perspective on the 41^st president.

But how much do you really know about the man who served in the nation’s highest office from 1989 to 1993?  Take the quiz below and test your knowledge of the president fondly remembered by many for his “kinder and gentler” administration.

 

1.  Where was Bush born?

• A. Houston, Texas
• B. Hartford, Connecticut
• C. Milton, Massachusetts
• D. Dallas, Texas

 

2. Bush’s wife Barbara not only was the wife of one president and mother of another, but was a presidential descendant as well. Which president was her ancestor?

• A. Thomas Jefferson
• B. Woodrow Wilson
• C. James Buchanan
• D. Franklin Pierce

 

3.  Bush’s warplane was shot down over the Pacific during World War II. How was he rescued?

• A. Saved by friendly island natives.
• B. Picked up in a raft by a submarine.
• C. Made signal flares from coconuts.
• D. Swam to a nearby warship.

 

4.  Which position did Bush hold before the presidency?

• A. Congressman
• B. United Nations Ambassador
• C. CIA Director
• D. All the above

 

5.   In 1988, Bush became the first incumbent vice president elected president in 152 years. Which previous vice president pulled off that political feat?

• A. Martin Van Buren
• B. Millard Fillmore
• C. Rutherford Hayes
• D. Calvin Coolidge

 

6.   During his time at Yale, Bush excelled at which extracurricular activity?

• A. Sang in the Whiffenpoofs
• B. Edited The Yale Daily News
• C. Captained the college baseball team
• D. Pulled practical jokes

 

7.  Bush had the most children of any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt? How many did he father?

• A. Five
• B. Six
• C. Seven
• D. Eight

 

8.  Bush was dogged all his life by a nickname he hated. What was it?

• A. Smiley
• B. Weezer
• C. Poppy
• D. Old Grand Dad

 

9.   1992 was the first presidential election where all three major candidates shared something in common. What was it?

• A. They all grew up on farms
• B. They all painted in their spare time
• C. They all rode motorcycles
• D. They all were left-handed

 

10 .  While living in Washington, D.C. during the 1980s, how did Bush maintain his Texas residency?

• A. Keeping a room in his son’s house
• B. Building his own mansion
• C. Renting a room in a Houston hotel
• D. Staying with friends while visiting

 

 

Answers:  1-C, 2-D , 3-B , 4-D, 5-A, 6-C, 7-B, 8-C, 9-D, 10-C