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Ohio man who designed White House Christmas tree ornament speaks at library
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.A large crowd of the Friends of the Boardman library gathered to hear a presentation by Chris Craft of the Massillon Museun about his trip to the White House in 2007.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Chris Craft of the Massillon Museum displayed several pictures of his trip to the White House in 2007 during his presentation at the Boardman library.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Chris Craft of the Massillon Museum designed a Christmas tree ornament for the White House Christmas tree in 2007. The ornament was designed after a photo of former First Lady Ida McKinley.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Chris Craft of the Massillon Museum spoke at the Boardman library about designing a Christmas ornament that was hung on the White House Christmas tree in 2007.
By TIM CLEVELAND
In 2007, Chris Craft of the Massillon Museum got a chance very few people do when he was chosen to design a Christmas ornament for the White House Christmas tree in 2007.
On Nov. 10, he gave a 45-minute presentation at the Boardman library to the Friends of the Boardman library about his experience in designing the ornament and his trip to the White House for a reception.
Every year, the approximately 300 National Park Service sites provide the ornaments for the White House Christmas tree. Craft was one of three local artists asked by the First Ladies Library in Canton to submit designs for the tree in 2007, and his design was chosen.
“I was asked back in 2007 by the First Ladies Library in Canton to decorate a Christmas ornament for them on behalf of the White House,” he said. “That ornament went on the Blue Room Christmas tree. We were invited to a reception at the White House.”
Craft said the process takes an entire year to complete.
“One of the first responsibilities of a First Lady’s year is to choose a theme for the White House Christmas tree and all the decorations in the White House,” he said. “It takes a year to put all that together. She has to choose that theme in January and there’s a team of volunteers that works on those decorations all year long.
“In 2007 it was the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, so Laura Bush chose the National Park Service as her theme for that year. The First Ladies Library is a National Park Service site. All the sites were asked to hire an artist to do a Christmas tree ornament and submit it for the Blue Room Christmas tree. That’s what I did.”
In designing the ornament, Craft decided to tie it into the Canton area and President William McKinley.
“The First Ladies Library is there because that was William McKinley’s home when he was an adult,” he said. “He met Ida Saxton while he was there and the Saxtons were prominent people in Canton. On one side is a portrait of her based on a photograph. On the other side is the Saxton house and is now part of the First Ladies Library. Christmas at the White House 2007, First Ladies National Historic Society.”
Craft said the White House had several rules regarding the ornaments. One of the rules was the top and bottom of the ornament had to be decorated because it would be hanging from the 18-foot-tall White House Christmas tree, so it possibly could be seen from all angles.
“I did several practice ones,” he said. “It’s about an 8 inch orb and I went out and found some more. I executed the good one and after that the First Ladies Library asked me to do one for them. The White House rules were you couldn’t duplicate the ornament because they didn’t want people capitalizing on it. What I did was I changed things; I changed the color of her dress, I changed the pine trees around the Saxton house, just so it was different.”
In November 2007, Craft was invited to the White House for a reception for all the ornament designers.
“It was very interesting and a lot of fun,” he said. “There were about 250 people and we had the entire first floor of the White House.
“It was very formal and very impressive. The food was great. Our treatment was wonderful. There were probably 60-100 staff members on duty. They treated us like kings.”