From Lakewood to the White House: A Bill Hixson Christmas Story

Take a wintry trip down memory lane with Bill Hixson and you’ll be led right into the private quarters of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

For nearly 30 years, Hixson, 82, owner of , has consulted with five First Ladies and countless White House staffers to help create some of the nation’s most stunning Christmas displays. 

Each year, workers bring in truck loads of evergreen trees, garland, wreaths, ribbon and various assorted decorations to transform the many rooms of the presidential mansion, he said. 

To offer an idea of the painstaking work and complexity involved, Hixson referenced the Blue Room tree – the crown jewel of the annual holiday display. The evergreen towers 20 feet off the floor and is typically adorned with anywhere from 7,000 to 11,000 ornaments. 

Traditionally, First Ladies have final say on the holiday decorations, and Hixson has worked closely with each and every one of them, starting with the Reagan Administration. Here are a few of his accounts which offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the country’s leaders and their wives. 

• The Reagan Era: Nancy Reagan was relatively easy to work with and would rarely intervene, unless someone suggested using the color purple or disrupted one of her social service programs, Hixson explained. Purple was prohibited in the White House during the holidays. One year, while the First Lady’s “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign was underway, a group of troubled youths was invited to the White House to hang paper snowflakes on the Blue Room tree. A decorator pulled them down, saying they didn’t mesh well with the other ornaments. Nancy took note, and needless to say, the snowflakes were promptly returned to their respective branches.

• The George H.W. Bush Era: George and Barbara Bush enjoyed spending time with Christmas staff, he said. Once, in a rare move, the First Lady asked Hixson and his peers to join her in the private living quarters. As the Bush’s pet springer spaniel (“Millie”) ran from room to room, Barbara gave them an exclusive tour of the second floor, offered light conversation and had her butler serve the group tea. That’s the only time Hixson and his 30 or so co-workers were allowed upstairs. 

• The Clinton Era: Hixson quickly warmed to Bill and Hillary Clinton after they formally commended him for his years of service at the White House. Clinton extended his hand in congratulation, and Hixson quipped, “You don’t need to be good at decorating, you just need to be old.” The joking continued later on that day when the President spotted a well-dressed Hixson 15 feet off the ground on a lifted platform and yelled across the room, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone working on a cherry picker while wearing a suit."

• The George W. Bush Era: “It wasn’t President Reagan, it wasn’t President Bush—your father-in-law, it wasn’t President Clinton nor was it your husband that brought good luck, prosperity and forward motion to this country,” confessed Hixson to First Lady Laura Bush in 2008. “It was me. That’s because I’ve been hiding pickle, pig and frog ornaments on the Blue Room tree all these years.” The First Lady beamed, and later wrote to him saying that hanging the unique ornaments would become a yearly tradition at the Bush home. 

• The Obama Presidency: Unlike any other president and First Lady, the Obama’s insisted that the holiday decorations be diverse and inclusive. “Whether it’s Christmas or Hanukkkah and so on, it’s still the nation’s tree,” Hixson said. “It represents all portions of the country and I like the inclusivity aspect.” Hixson departed this weekend for his second year with the Obama’s, and has heard rumors that the administration will be making some newsworthy changes. Check back with Lakewood Patch in December to see what the First Lady rolled out.