183. Reagan, Ronald. A glass jar emblazoned with the Presidential Seal and a facsimile of Reagan’s signature, sealed and filled with his trademark jelly beans. Housed in a custom blue box also bearing the Presidential Seal and facsimile Reagan signature printed in silver. The jelly beans were Reagan’s gift to Amy Benham, a terminally ill seven-year-old girl who had been invited to the White House to help the President light the White House Christmas Tree on 15 December 1983. Offered together with an original laminated White House guest pass used by Amy and her mother while attending the event. The presentation box housing the jelly beans is lightly worn in the corners; the red flocked plastic interior securing the jar in the box has cracked, the the jar remains sealed and in fine condition.

A touching and poignant memento from Ronald Reagan – a jar of his famous jelly beans given to an ailing child who lit the White House Christmas tree in 1983.

When physicians diagnosed seven-year-old Amy Benham with Hodgkin’s disease in May 1983, her parents asked her to choose three wishes. Amy requested a playhouse large enough to accommodate her and her two younger sisters, a canopy bed, and the opportunity to help President Reagan light the White House Christmas tree. She wrote a letter to the Make a Wish Foundation asking “The Christmas tree that light up for our country must be seen all the way to heaven. I would wish so much to help President Reagan turn on those Christmas lights.” (Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, 16 December 1983, page 1.) The foundation came through for Amy, and the White House invited her to attend the lighting ceremony scheduled for 15 December 1983. 

Amy and her mother arrived at the White House, where she was allowed to sit at the President’s desk in the Oval Office. At five in the afternoon she stood with Reagan at the diplomatic entrance to the White House where the switch had been placed for the lighting. Before Amy flipped the switch, Reagan read a portion of her letter and added, “Well Amy, the nicest Christmas present I could receive is helping your dream come true. When you press the button over here, the whole world will know Amy Benham lit up the skies sending Americans love, hope and joy all the way to heaven and making the angels sing.” Reagan then picked her up to allow her turn on the 500 lights which had been festooned on the 30-foot Colorado blue spruce that had been placed on the Ellipse near the south grounds of the White House. (Ibid.) An ebullient Amy Benham returned to her home in Washington State to find a canopy bed and a backyard playhouse all donated by local merchants and remarked: “I’ve got all these wishes already, and I’m only 7 years old. I got Christmas cards from people all over the country, people we don’t even know. There was even one from Santa Claus.” (Seattle Times, 26 December 1983, p. A-19.) 

The jelly beans are accompanied by several copies of news clippings chronicling Amy’s visit to the White House, including an image of Reagan standing with Amy at the lighting ceremony. In addition, there is video footage of the tree lighting (copied to a DVD), as reported by several Seattle television stations, which include interviews with Amy and members of her family. The video, compiled on a DVD, includes reports from KOMO and KIRO in Seattle, as well as reports from the national network outlets, including Dan Rather from CBS, Tom Brokaw from NBC, and Peter Jennings at ABC.  $6,000 - $8,000