The Christmas season arrived at the White House in the form of 54 Christmas trees, some 300 pounds of ginger bread and a life-size replica of Bo, the First Dog.
First Lady Michelle Obama officially unveiled the White House Christmas decorations on Wednesday when she welcomed military families under the theme of “Joy to All.”
“It celebrates the many joys of the holiday seasons: the joy of giving and service to others; the joy of sharing our blessings with one another; and, of course, the joy of welcoming our friends and families as guests into our homes over these next several weeks,” she told the crowd gathered in the East Room.
The First Lady praised the service and sacrifice of the families gathered at the White House today, which included Gold Star and Blue Star parents, spouses and children.
“This is one big, huge thank you,” she said. “I have said this many times before and I will say it again, because I can’t say it enough – our military families truly represent the very best that this country has to offer. And I’ve seen it up close. You all do so much for this country, and you do it with such amazing poise and grace.”
Several of the decorations honored the military, including red, white and blue wreaths and special ornaments decorated by families of fallen soldiers. The decor also includes a nod to holidays past, with four trees trimmed with ornaments paying tribute to the legacies of former first ladies.
“They just give you a sense of what Christmas felt like in other administrations with other families and first ladies,” Mrs. Obama said.
More than 90,000 visitors will tour the decorations at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this holiday season.
They’ll all likely marvel at a huge 18-foot-6-inch Fraser fir in the Blue Room and a giant topiary of the Obama family dog Bo made out of 20,000 black and white pom-poms.
Other highlights include the annual White House gingerbread house, which weighs in at an impressive 300 pounds.
“It even includes chandeliers that light up,” the First Lady bragged. ”It glows. Like Rudolph’s nose, right.”
