In a rare tribute to a living president, the White House Historical Association put on sale on Wednesday its annual Christmas ornament, this year designed as a tribute to former President Jimmy Carter.
The colorful ornament shaped like a Navy anchor commemorates the 99-year-old president who has been in hospice care in his Plains, Georgia, home since last February.
Typically, the association’s ornament features the Christmas traditions of long-dead presidents.
But this year, the association, which helps fund historical renovations to the White House, devoted its ornament to Carter, the peanut farmer, Navy submariner, and former Georgia governor who served one term before losing to former President Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Among the motifs the association chose to feature in honoring Carter’s life was a view of the North Portico accompanied by doves, “which symbolize President Carter’s peacemaking efforts while in the White House,” the association said.
They also decorated the area with poinsettias “recalling the colorful holiday decor at the executive mansion during his presidency,” the group said.
On the back of the anchor, the organization put an outline of the Seawolf-class USS Jimmy Carter, commissioned in 2005. Carter was the only president to serve on subs.
Also on the back is a globe to highlight Carter’s life-long commitment to world peace through the Jimmy Carter Center and the volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity by the 39th president.
SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS
And on the lower part of the anchor are peanuts as “a reminder of Carter’s years as a farmer and businessman in Plains, Ga.,” the association said.
The ornament was unveiled Wednesday and is ready for sale at $24.95.
“With these intricate ornaments, we are able to educate Americans about the unique and important parts of our country’s history,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. “Each ornament furthers the association’s mission to protect, preserve, and provide access to the rich history of America’s executive mansion.”