Deck the Halls
Each year, Smithsonian Gardens’ staff designs and installs holiday decorations for the Smithsonian museums. Displays feature seasonal flowering plants, decorated evergreen trees, wreaths, garlands, everlasting floral arrangements, and winter interest plant material. The thousands of poinsettias used in holiday displays throughout the Smithsonian museums each year are selected and grown by horticulturists at the Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse Facility.
Holiday tree at the National Museum of American History. Hannele Lahti, photographer.
Outdoor display at the Madison Dr. entrance of the National Museum of American History. Hannele Lahti, photographer.
Outdoor display at the Madison Dr. entrance of the National Museum of American History. Hannele Lahti, photographer.
A 17-foot-tall Frasier Fir located outside the National Museum of American History’s Flag Hall decorated with elegant white and blue ornaments. Hannele Lahti, photographer.
Bromeliad tree at the National Museum of Natural History. Hannele Lahti, photographer.
Holiday display of lights and poinsettias at the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Hannele Lahti, photographer.
Location of Holiday Decorations in 2024
National Museum of American History
- 2nd Floor Flag Hall – 15’ live decorated evergreen tree,
- Decorated garland and silver spray-painted.
- Preserved magnolia wreaths.
- Red poinsettias throughout the Museum
- The outdoor display is mainly on Madison Dr. and in the Victory Garden on the east side of the American History Museum.
Anacostia Community Museum
- Museum Entrance – Large, decorated wreath
Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery
- Planters – variety of decorative lighted features and red, pink & white poinsettias throughout
Mary Livingston Ripley Garden
- Gnomes on display which includes Leroy and friends.
National Air and Space Museum
- Garland, 2 seasonal floor arrangements and 2 poinsettias at the Independence Avenue entrance
- Decorative containers greeting you at the front entrance on Independence Ave.
National Museum of African Art
- – Pavilion – 10’ live decorated evergreen tree and white poinsettias.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
- – Heritage Hall – 15’ decorated artificial tree and white poinsettias.
- – Level C – Red poinsettias and 3 large, decorated wreaths
National Museum of Natural History
- Evan’s Gallery – 12’ tree stand planted with several varieties of bromeliads, 6 seasonal floor arrangements, and poinsettias.
- 2nd Floor Rotunda – Wreaths and decorated garland
National Postal Museum
- Main Exhibit Hall – 2 – 7’ decorated artificial trees, 6 seasonal floor arrangements, a wreath, and white poinsettias throughout the museum.
Renwick Gallery
- Museum Entrance – Lighted garland decorated with ribbons on exterior fencing.
- Top of interior stairs – two red poinsettias in urns.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
- Pavilion-Flocked artificial tree in urn behind guard’s desk
- Building stairs – a wreath, poinsettias
- Concourse – variety of poinsettias throughout planters and in the Human Nature Exhibition.