The Bush Family Home is kicking off the holiday season with its first Ornament Workshop on Dec. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. The free event invites families to craft gingerbread men for their Christmas trees and experience the holiday spirit as celebrated by the Bush family. Now a Texas Historical Commission site, the home offers visitors the chance to explore the emotional significance of the Bush family's West Texas Christmases.
“We wanted to do a fun activity that the Bush children may have done,” said site manager Troy Gray. “You can imagine them making Christmas crafts at schools around Midland. This event lets families start the season with something special for their tree. You can tell by the pictures that they loved decorating their tree.”
The event offers more than just a craft project; it features a special recreation of the family’s 1953 mantelpiece. That Christmas was bittersweet, as the family marked Jeb Bush’s first holiday while grieving the recent loss of their daughter, Robin, who died from leukemia in October of that year.
“The Bushes decorated their mantel with her picture in the middle of many angels, in front of a clock,” Gray said. “We hope visitors will sense the emotion of that Christmas with this silent memorial and what it meant to the family.”
The home will be decorated in traditional 1950s holiday style, reflecting the warmth and charm seen in photos from the Bush family’s time in West Texas.
“Inspired by these pictures, site staff have recreated decorations as they were in the 1950s. Visitors will see that the holidays were a special time for the family,” Gray said.
The Bush Family Home joined the Texas Historical Commission in 2023, which has enabled it to enhance its holiday offerings with authentic decorations and historically accurate details.
“We don’t just use plastic or novelty decorations; we research the Bush family’s traditions and midcentury holiday customs,” Gray said. “It’s about surrounding visitors with what the Bushes saw, heard, and felt.”
The Ornament Workshop will also feature 1950s holiday music, refreshments, and holiday gifts inspired by the Bush family’s legacy, such as train sets, pilot teddy bears, and helicopter toys.
“We hope this event will be the first in a series of ornament workshops that families can enjoy every holiday season,” Gray said. “It’s a chance to show visitors that, while we aren’t a political museum, we are a place to learn about a family’s start in public service and the oil industry right here in West Texas.”