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Deck the Halls and Welcome All

OrnamentGreen Room

Today, President Jackson's portrait hangs next door in the Green Room, which is draped in garlands laden with Christmas treats.

The Green Room was a preferred retreat of Thomas Jefferson, who used this space as his private dining quarters. His grandchildren were some of his favorite guests, and this space was the likely setting for his family Christmas meals. Jefferson was also fond of his violin, which he used to play for his grandchildren — possibly bowing Christmas melodies for them right here in this parlor.

Many years later, the Green Room received Farmyard in Winter. This painting is the work of 19th-century Connecticut artist George H. Durrie, whose New England winter scenes became some of Currier & Ives's most popular prints. In 1975, Farmyard in Winter graced the White House Christmas card of President and Mrs. Gerald Ford.

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