The White House is reopening for Christmas tours following its closure due to the East Wing demolition for President Trump's new ballroom.
This year's White House Christmas tour will follow a truncated route which removes the
East Room, China Room, Vermeil Room, Library, Center Hall, East Garden Room, East Colonnade, and East Landing from the tour due to the East Wing demolition and ballroom construction.
On a positive note, decorating what's left of the White House for Christmas this year should go a lot quicker than it did in the past! Guests will still be able to view the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room,
State Dining Room, Cross Hall and Entrance Hall.
Christmas meeting in the @WhiteHouse ✨ pic.twitter.com/58NXq6Rdri
— Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) October 8, 2025
Last year, over 300 volunteers from across the nation gathered at the White House to decorate inside and out using over 165,000 holiday lights, 28,000 ornaments, 2,300 doves, and 83 Christmas trees.
The deadline for 2025 volunteer applications was in early September. Christmas decorations will go up the week of November 24th.
This page
will be updated once the details of the 2025 White House Christmas decorations are released.
Last year's White House Christmas tree was a Fraser Fir from a farm in the Blue Ridge mountains. First Lady Jill Biden continued the tradition of inspecting the tree as it arrived at the North Portico via horse and carriage. The grand tree was placed in the Blue Room of the White House and will be decorated for the holidays.
Every November, volunteers from across the country work diligently to decorate the White House for the holiday season. This is a tremendous effort by many dedicated and enthusiastic people. To get an idea of the amount of work involved, read this blog post or that blog post by former volunteers.
The White House welcomes almost 50,000 visitors every year during the holiday season. Visitors receive an official White House Holiday guide. Scroll through the booklet below or download yours here:
You can view the White House Christmas decorations in December by signing up in advance for a White House tour. These tours are popular, so the sooner you submit your request, the better chance you will have to tour the White House next holiday season. You can submit a White House Christmas tour request up to 30 days in advance this year.
Every year, the White House invites special groups to attend one of many Holiday Open House events. Holiday-themed entertainers, musical groups, school bands, and choirs perform for guests during the White House Open Houses. Many volunteers are needed to help out with this event.
The lighting of the 2025 National Christmas Tree will take place on Thursday December 4, 2025 on the Ellipse. Free tickets will be made
available via an online lottery beginning at 10AM on October 29th. The ticket lottery closes at 3PM on Nov 5th.
After the lighting ceremony, visitors are invited to view the National Christmas Tree, as well as the 58 surrounding trees honoring the states, territories, and District of Columbia throughout the month of December. More information here.
