The tree tops glisten at Kentucky Governor's mansion
By Karyn Czar
December 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM EST
The Kentucky Governor's Mansion has been transformed into a winter wonderland just in time for Christmas, with five distinct trees and each room decorated with its own theme. We take you behind the scenes with First Lady Brittany Beshear.
CZAR: First Lady Beshear, thank you so much for having us here at the mansion for Christmas.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Yes, I'm so glad you're here today. Thank you.
CZAR: It looks absolutely beautiful. How long does it take to get the mansion ready for the holidays?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: So, there is a group of state employees and volunteers who a couple weeks before Thanksgiving pull all the ornaments and trees and garland out of storage and bring them in and then unpack everything and organize it and then get everything up. So the whole process takes two and a half to three weeks, I think, total.
CZAR: Do we have time for a little walkabout?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Oh, we sure do.
CZAR: A little tour? What room are we in right now?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: We're in the First Lady's parlor and this room; the ambiance is lighter. It's pinks and greens and yellows and golds and so the tree reflects the aesthetic in here, so it feels a little lighter, a little maybe less traditional, but the ornaments are bright and light and airy. Alright, this is the Governor's parlor and the aesthetic in here is heavier, very dark reds and blues. The curtains are heavier and so this is very traditional Christmas, you know, red and gold.
But what is so amazing to me about these trees is if I tried to decorate and stick to a theme, it would not, I can't. So, it's remarkable what all the men and women who come to help decorate are able to accomplish.
CZAR: What's Christmas morning like?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Well, so upstairs is our personal Beshear tree that is my personal favorite. It has no theme except family memories and Andy calls it my Super Bowl because I lay out all the ornaments and I, you know, take my walk down memory lane and I figure out where I want them to go on the tree. But Christmas morning we'll spend in the First Lady's parlor. When everybody comes over to our house for dinner, this is just kind of where we congregate.
CZAR: Is that where Santa goes as well?
FIRST LADY BESHAR: Yes. Santa leaves give sense. Because it's just a little, it's a little more space to spread out. They used to decorate the sunroom almost like jars of different colored candies and just make it very almost like Nutcracker feel. I’ll go show you that tree.
I love this room. It's actually my favorite room. It's very bright and just cozy in here and this is, it's like forest whimsy.
CZAR: I love this tree.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: So this is more of like, I feel like if a child was to come to the mansion, this is the tree that they would kind of gravitate toward.
CZAR: You have a roaring fire going on.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: That's right.
CZAR: I know we're radio so people can't see, but Winnie is in her Christmas sweater.
FIRST LADY BESHAR: Yep. She's been on Santa watch. She likes to look out the window. She'll let us know.
CZAR: What are some of the great traditions for the Beshears?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Christmas Eve we always go to church. We like to go to the children's service, even though our children are obviously older and they no longer are part of the children's choir, but it's just so special, the excitement, the palpable excitement in church on Christmas Eve in that service to me is really fun.
Something I do every year with Will and Lila since they were babies really, is I get one or two ornaments that sort of like capture the year for them. So, Will, when he was little, loved airplanes, so I got him an airplane ornament.
Lila loved dancing, so she, you know, got a little ballerina ornament and as they've gotten older and things have changed, obviously, like they've changed and I've got a couple if you'd like to see them.
CZAR: Absolutely.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: So, I brought this one specifically because I knew you would love it. When Lila was acting a lot, I got that one for her. I think she was maybe 11 or he had been in a couple of plays that year and so she got that one.
This one I got; Will has played in a few baseball tournaments in Charleston and it's always for me just a really special time to spend with him. So, I got him this ornament in Charleston and then saved it for Christmas.
This one, my precious Nani made. She always made the sweetest ornaments and so I have a lot of them. She was a magical lady.
CZAR: Thank you so much for the tour. We appreciate you having us out.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: I hope that everybody has a safe Merry Christmas. Being part of Kentucky and being a part of this time in Kentucky is very special and I hope everybody just has a blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas.
CZAR: From all of us here at 91.3 WUKY, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for your support throughout the year. We are incredibly grateful.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Yes, I'm so glad you're here today. Thank you.
CZAR: It looks absolutely beautiful. How long does it take to get the mansion ready for the holidays?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: So, there is a group of state employees and volunteers who a couple weeks before Thanksgiving pull all the ornaments and trees and garland out of storage and bring them in and then unpack everything and organize it and then get everything up. So the whole process takes two and a half to three weeks, I think, total.
CZAR: Do we have time for a little walkabout?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Oh, we sure do.
CZAR: A little tour? What room are we in right now?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: We're in the First Lady's parlor and this room; the ambiance is lighter. It's pinks and greens and yellows and golds and so the tree reflects the aesthetic in here, so it feels a little lighter, a little maybe less traditional, but the ornaments are bright and light and airy. Alright, this is the Governor's parlor and the aesthetic in here is heavier, very dark reds and blues. The curtains are heavier and so this is very traditional Christmas, you know, red and gold.
But what is so amazing to me about these trees is if I tried to decorate and stick to a theme, it would not, I can't. So, it's remarkable what all the men and women who come to help decorate are able to accomplish.
CZAR: What's Christmas morning like?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Well, so upstairs is our personal Beshear tree that is my personal favorite. It has no theme except family memories and Andy calls it my Super Bowl because I lay out all the ornaments and I, you know, take my walk down memory lane and I figure out where I want them to go on the tree. But Christmas morning we'll spend in the First Lady's parlor. When everybody comes over to our house for dinner, this is just kind of where we congregate.
CZAR: Is that where Santa goes as well?
FIRST LADY BESHAR: Yes. Santa leaves give sense. Because it's just a little, it's a little more space to spread out. They used to decorate the sunroom almost like jars of different colored candies and just make it very almost like Nutcracker feel. I’ll go show you that tree.
I love this room. It's actually my favorite room. It's very bright and just cozy in here and this is, it's like forest whimsy.
CZAR: I love this tree.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: So this is more of like, I feel like if a child was to come to the mansion, this is the tree that they would kind of gravitate toward.
CZAR: You have a roaring fire going on.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: That's right.
CZAR: I know we're radio so people can't see, but Winnie is in her Christmas sweater.
FIRST LADY BESHAR: Yep. She's been on Santa watch. She likes to look out the window. She'll let us know.
CZAR: What are some of the great traditions for the Beshears?
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: Christmas Eve we always go to church. We like to go to the children's service, even though our children are obviously older and they no longer are part of the children's choir, but it's just so special, the excitement, the palpable excitement in church on Christmas Eve in that service to me is really fun.
Something I do every year with Will and Lila since they were babies really, is I get one or two ornaments that sort of like capture the year for them. So, Will, when he was little, loved airplanes, so I got him an airplane ornament.
Lila loved dancing, so she, you know, got a little ballerina ornament and as they've gotten older and things have changed, obviously, like they've changed and I've got a couple if you'd like to see them.
CZAR: Absolutely.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: So, I brought this one specifically because I knew you would love it. When Lila was acting a lot, I got that one for her. I think she was maybe 11 or he had been in a couple of plays that year and so she got that one.
This one I got; Will has played in a few baseball tournaments in Charleston and it's always for me just a really special time to spend with him. So, I got him this ornament in Charleston and then saved it for Christmas.
This one, my precious Nani made. She always made the sweetest ornaments and so I have a lot of them. She was a magical lady.
CZAR: Thank you so much for the tour. We appreciate you having us out.
FIRST LADY BESHEAR: I hope that everybody has a safe Merry Christmas. Being part of Kentucky and being a part of this time in Kentucky is very special and I hope everybody just has a blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas.
CZAR: From all of us here at 91.3 WUKY, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for your support throughout the year. We are incredibly grateful.