The White House is best known for being a house to the President of the United States and his family. The building is also one of the most important historical landmarks in the United States. What might be a lesser-known fact is that the White House has quirky traditions that have been passed down.
Andrew Jackson who served as the 7th President of the States took it upon himself to make sure that the people remembered his term positively. As he was nearing the end of his term his office, he received a wheel of cheddar that weighed 1,400 pounds.
The then President decided to give the block of cheese away to the citizens of Washington. Barack Obama brought the tradition back in 2014 during his time as President. The Democrat held a Big Block of Cheese Day online for two years straight.
The White House gingerbread house is the one tradition that was started in the 1960s and is followed to date. Every year a miniature replica of the Presidential family home is made during the holidays. The gingerbread house reportedly weighs around 300 pounds and even takes months to make. It is usually put up on display in the State Dining Room.
Another tradition that President Andrew Jackson started that was never repeated again was the snowball fight of 1835. The then President had thrown a grand Christmas party for his family that entailed a feast, games, and lots of dancing.
Andrew Jackson, the Ulster-Scot who became the seventh President of the United States, was born on March 15, 1767.
Did you know that his parents were Ulster-Scots who lived in County Antrim?
This is his story 👇 pic.twitter.com/srTcyCUaxU
— Ulster-Scots Community Network (@USCN1) March 14, 2025
Another fun element of the part was the snowball fight that Jackson organized for his grandchildren. The “snowballs” used in the fight weren’t made up of snow at all but were cotton balls that replicated snow. The tradition did not continue and ended up going down in history as the only White House snowball fight.
One of the more commonly known White House traditions is the turkey pardoning done by the President. The tradition was originally started by John F Kennedy who was the 35th President of the United States.
In 1963, Kennedy spontaneously decided to pardon the Turkey that was picked out on the occasion of Thanksgiving. After Kennedy set an example, some Presidents pardoned the Thanksgiving turkey and some didn’t.
President Kennedy receiving a turkey before a bipartisan pardoning ceremony, 1963. JFK Library. pic.twitter.com/KD4SU5W1aC
— Joseph A. Esposito (@EspositoWriter) November 23, 2020
The White House has been home to not only the Presidents and their families but also their pets. Some of the pets that have resided in the White House have been rather peculiar. Abraham Lincoln’s son reportedly had a turkey, goats, and pigs as pets.
The 26th President Teddy Roosevelt and 30th President Calvin Coolidge also had several animals on the White House grounds. Herbert Hoover’s sons undoubtedly had the strangest pets in White House history.
The Hoover family had two pet alligators on the grounds. William Howard Taft reportedly had cows on the grounds that would produce fresh milk. The 8th President Martin Van Buren was gifted two tiger cubs as a gift. The President was later asked to give them up to the zoo by the Congress.
