Jacqueline Kennedy gives final approval of 1962 White House Christmas Card, the last one sent during JFK’s Presidency

Devotion to tradition and taste informed Jackie Kennedy’s decision-making as First Lady on all levels, right down to the design of Christmas cards, which exhibited artistic expression over the formulaic portrait cards of the past.

The 1962 card featured an evocative photograph taken on February 13, 1962, by White House photographer Cecil Stoughton, showing the Kennedy children in a sleigh pulled by the pony "Macaroni" on the lawn in front of the White House.

Jacqueline’s final approval notes are part of The Luecht Historical Collection as well as one of the rare original cards.

Her notes read:

"…This is the final decision on our Xmas card - so ignore my notes inside big envelope to you…Order more than just for heads of state - He [John F. Kennedy] will want to send some to Cabinet & Gov etc & I could send about 25 to old non political friends - abroad - etc…See if you have Macmillan's card from last yr - Anyway - so many people do photographed Xmas cards here - the heavy card paper suitable for printing photos shouldn't be too hard to find. If there is a great problem printing The White House in script on envelope - do it in whatever dye [sic] we have in black print…[the] Help's smaller card can have [a] foto on it & add message in our handwriting: ex. Merry Christmas [here Jackie scribbles JFK's infamous signature] Jaqueline Kennedy December 25, 1962…I'll send you signatures in photostat…".

A side note, Cecil Stoughton was also the photographer who took the famous picture of Lyndon Johnson being sworn in on Air Force One on November 22, 1963.