OPINION:
The holiday season is one of the most festive times of the year at the White House. Guided by holiday spirit, the first lady traditionally oversees the design of the State Floor with beautiful Christmas trees, bounties of garland and ornate decorations honoring America’s story. December at the Executive Mansion glows with fellowship and celebration. In that spirit, presidents have long used the new year to share messages of renewal and resolution with the American people.
The earliest presidents were no strangers to New Year’s celebrations. Before Washington became the nation’s capital, President Washington hosted New Year’s receptions in his residences in New York and Philadelphia. His successor, President John Adams, adopted the custom, opening the president’s doors to the public in a tradition that would endure until 1932. For 131 years, this White House ritual brought together Americans, from common citizens to four-star generals, eager to wish the president a happy new year.
These celebrations endured even amid profound challenges from 1801 to 1932. During the Civil War, President Lincoln received thousands of well-wishers on New Year’s Day 1863 before signing the Emancipation Proclamation, despite concerns that he would sign it improperly after shaking thousands of hands on New Year’s Eve. A year later, Lincoln became the first president to welcome Black Americans into the White House for the New Year’s reception.
At the height of this White House tradition, more than 6,000 Americans lined Pennsylvania Avenue for a presidential handshake. President Hoover kept the custom alive through the Great Depression, but Franklin D. Roosevelt — mindful of his health, the costs of the era and the overwhelming crowds — decided not to continue it. Instead, Roosevelt gave the new year a new voice. His speeches and radio addresses shared courage, unity and perseverance with homes nationwide. Amid hardship, he urged Americans to face the coming year with faith and shared purpose.
That sense of renewal reached President Kennedy, who viewed the new year as a symbol of progress. His tone was optimistic and urgent, insisting that America must continually “begin anew.” The dawn of 1961 captured his vision perfectly, as a young president led a nation poised between fear and discovery. Kennedy’s message was clear: Renewal was not merely the turning of a calendar but an act of will. By choosing engagement over indifference, America could harness rather than fear change.
President Reagan echoed those sentiments in an age defined by Cold War anxiety. On New Year’s Day 1988, Reagan aired a message to citizens of the Soviet Union: “This season, in and around the new year, is a season of love and hope, a time for reflection, a time of expectation, a time when people in America, just like people all over the world, gather with family and friends to remember in many different ways the blessings of God and to look to the future with hope.” Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev recorded a message with similar themes that was released to the American people.
After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush offered his own message of perseverance: “As we move forward into the new year, I encourage all Americans … to join with me in reaffirming our commitment to helping people around the world achieve peace and freedom.” In the shadow of tragedy, his words called for faith in America’s founding ideals, tying renewal to resilience and a sense of purpose.
President Obama struck a similar chord after the Great Recession. Reflecting on 2009, he urged Americans to “look back on this year with the knowledge that brighter days are ahead of us.” He pointed to perseverance as the country’s perennial source of renewal.
From Washington to the present day, these New Year’s reflections trace a continuous thread: The presidency is both a participant in and a symbol of national renewal. Whether greeting visitors or reaching citizens over the airwaves, presidents have understood that the turning of the year offers more than ceremony. It invites the nation to reset, remember and recommit to the shared work of democracy.
As the nation prepares to welcome 2026, the 250th anniversary of its founding, these presidential messages carry enduring relevance. Each leader, in his own time, faced a crossroads. Yet all found in the new year an opportunity to remind Americans that our story is one of continuous rebirth. Renewal, like democracy itself, depends not on circumstances but on conviction.
Two-and-a-half centuries after independence, the call remains the same. In the new year, let us remember the tremendous history of the United States, and just as presidents before, let us emerge into the new year with a sense of renewal and resolution to continue the great American story.
• Stewart McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association.
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