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The first mention of Taft as a public figure and Christmas goes back to his time as the military governor of the Philippines. Taft held the office during a period of civil strife and battling factions, in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Each year, leading up to the winter holiday, Taft would review the long list of military and political prisoners and issue pardons or reduced sentences to those individuals he deemed most deserving – and with the prisons badly overcrowded during this violent period, perhaps some not quite so deserving. The most famous and controversial of these instances of clemency was in the case of a priest who had brutally killed the leader of the war-torn city of Taylay during a violent uprising. Taft reduced his death sentence to 20 years in prison.
When Taft won the election of 1908 with very little support from the South, he intentionally chose the city of Augusta, Georgia for the location of his family’s Christmas vacation. President Taft wanted to show that he would represent the interests of all Americans. His family spent part of their time at the residence of a Mr. Hack, a prominent supporter of William Jennings Bryan. (Taft had defeated Bryan a month earlier in the presidential election.) Mr. Hack presented the Taft family with a native holly tree as a gesture of goodwill. The evergreen mistletoe on the tree was said to represent a much hoped-for era of good feelings between the political parties and the regions.
In a letter to his sister-in law, Taft wrote that the family was greatly enjoying their stay in Georgia, complaining only that his children hardly spoke and when his wife Nellie spoke, it was generally to criticize his efforts at cabinet-making. He also commented that Nellie had adapted much better and was far more enthusiastic than he to have become a part of Washington’s elite political society. Many people believed that Nellie Taft was the one who convinced her husband to follow Theodore Roosevelt’s plan for Taft to pursue the presidency in 1908, as opposed to doing what Taft wanted: his appointment to the United States Supreme Court.
During his time in office, Taft was known for his generous nature, which was apparent in the scope and number of Christmas gifts he sent out. Taft did not limit his gifts to family and friends, his Christmas list often numbered in the hundreds. He would send out presidential Christmas cards to accompany the gifts. Often, his aides would have to scramble to acquire more White House cards as the list grew in length. Taft would usually spend several days going Christmas shopping. Among his favorite items to send were books and jewelry, and he always made his own selections. On each of the books he sent, he would write a personal sentiment inside the cover, givng these objects a lasting historical value. Taft would also present Christmas gifts to all of the White House clerks. He also sent a Christmas turkey to all married White House employees – usually just over 100 turkeys. He would also give a personal holiday remembrance to each of the Secret Service men assigned to protect him.