Table Of Content
- Letters and thank-you notes sent to Biden hang among the ornaments.
- Washingtonian Magazine
- Thank You For Playing, and Happy Holidays From The White House!
- "A spirit of joy"
- Christmas trees in the State Dining Room feature photos of the Bidens, as well as past presidential families.
- Mantel full of stockings
The China Room, which was first introduced as a display room by First Lady Edith Wilson in 1917, houses tableware used by past presidential families. Most presidents, beginning with George Washington, are represented by either a personal or State Service of porcelain, glass, or silver. Each piece recalls the State Dinners and celebratory meals that have brought together world leaders and diplomats. In the Blue Room, renderings of the official birds from all 57 states, territories, and the District of Columbia adorn the Official White House Christmas Tree, illustrating the beauty and strength that comes from unity. The individual tree trimmings shine on their own, but woven together, this unified collection transforms a humble fir into a stunning symbol of We the People. The China Room, which was formalized by First Lady Edith Wilson in 1917, houses tableware used by past presidential families.
Letters and thank-you notes sent to Biden hang among the ornaments.
Each set reflects the presidents and first ladies who selected their designs and recalls the State Dinners and celebratory meals that have brought together world leaders and diplomats. Holiday greenery and red cardinals line the columns and beams of the East Wing Lobby. Many people believe that red cardinals signify the presence of lost loved ones.
Washingtonian Magazine
The display includes a sugar cookie replica of the famous book, as well as Santa’s sleigh flying above the White House grounds. This magical poem has delighted children for 200 years, with families across the world gathering together for generations to recite the lyrical lines by memory. The White House and its residence share the holiday cheer felt by all of the country this time of year. The decor of the Red Room represents the joy of making holiday crafts together. Whether sewing a costume for the Christmas pageant, stringing popcorn for the tree, or fashioning homemade ornaments, the holidays are a time for creativity and imagination. Around the White House are 77 Christmas trees, 25 wreaths and more than 83,615 holiday lights, according to the first lady's office.
Thank You For Playing, and Happy Holidays From The White House!
PHOTOS: The 2023 White House Holiday Decor - Washingtonian
PHOTOS: The 2023 White House Holiday Decor.
Posted: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
First lady Jill Biden unveiled the 2022 Christmas decorations on Nov. 28 and thanked volunteers from across the country who helped decorate the White House to celebrate the season. Beginning in the Eisenhower Administration, a large Christmas tree has been consistently featured in the Blue Room. The centerpiece of the holiday season, an 18 ½ foot Fraser Fir from Jefferson, North Carolina, stands floor to ceiling and fills the oval room. Every year, the room’s chandelier is removed to accommodate the Christmas tree’s full height.
The Cross Hall is lined with glowing Christmas trees, and it also houses the official White House menorah.
The doves and shooting stars represent "peace and light brought to us all by the service of frontline workers and first responders during the pandemic," according to the White House Holiday Guide. The China Room display includes holiday baking supplies amid gingerbread houses, holiday cakes, and other themed desserts. The official White House Christmas tree, an 18.5-foot-tall Fraser fir, takes its usual place in the Blue Room, where the chandelier has to be taken down to accommodate its height. The massive tree this year celebrates cheerful scenes, landscapes and neighborhoods from across the country. The traditional gingerbread White House recreates the classic story by featuring a sugar cookie replica of the book along with Santa's sleigh flying above the grounds. The official White House Menorah is on display in the Cross Hall connecting the State Dining Room and the East Room, which is decorated with trees and various advent calendars.
The display includes a sugar cookie replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were signed. The Constitution opens with the phrase, "We the People" — the theme of this year's holiday decor. In addition to thousands of lights, the White House is decked out with 77 trees, 25 wreaths on the exterior, and a glorious array of garlands, ornaments, glittering stars and gingerbread houses. A burst of pine aroma hits visitors as they step inside the East Wing and come upon trees adorned with mirrored Gold Star ornaments bearing the names of fallen service members. Arranged in the windows of the room are purple trees accented with natural orchids.
Christmas trees in the State Dining Room feature photos of the Bidens, as well as past presidential families.
The White House says more than 150 volunteers came together to decorate the building over the course of a week. It has eight detailed replicas of community buildings to honor front-line workers, including a hospital, police station and fire station. As part of Joining Forces, her White House initiative to support military families, Jill Biden was joined by National Guard leaders from across the country, as well as National Guard families. Stockings hang over the fireplace in the State Dining Room, which is decorated to reflect the theme "The Gift of Family." The White House is illuminated and decorated with wreaths, with the National Christmas Tree lit up on the Ellipse, surrounded by smaller trees representing the 50 states. The official 2021 White House Christmas tree, displayed in the Blue Room, is an 18-and-a-half-foot Fraser fir from Jefferson, North Carolina.
Mantel full of stockings
Hanging from the fireplace in the State Dining Room are the Biden family stockings, which will get filled with an orange in the toe — a tradition from the first lady's grandmother. The East Colonnade of the White House is decorated with winter trees, animals and lanterns. On Monday, first lady Jill Biden revealed this year's Christmas decorations, under the theme "We the People," which she selected months ago.
The White House says its pastry team used 55 sheets of baked gingerbread, 120 pounds of pastillage sugar-paste icing, 35 pounds of chocolate and 25 pounds of royal icing. The display features a gingerbread hospital, police station, fire station, gas station, school, post office, and grocery store. The China Room displays tableware and china sets used by past presidential families. The Library decorations are dedicated to educators who "found ways to connect with students in new and innovative ways, pushing through the challenges of the pandemic," according to the White House Holiday Guide. The gold star ornaments feature the names and ranks of the fallen soldiers, as well as their dates of death. The theme of the White House Christmas decorations is chosen by the first lady every year.
Classic holiday books are displayed throughout the room, and Santa and his reindeer can be spotted flying through the sky in the window. First lady Jill Biden unveiled the 2023 White House Christmas decorations on Monday, centered around the theme "Magic, Wonder, and Joy." "But it's in these times, when we are searching for hope and healing, that we need those points of light the most, that we need each other the most," she said. "It's in these times that I hope you remember, if even just for a moment or a season, how you saw the world as a child." In her prepared remarks, the first lady said she knows that magic, wonder and joy can be hard to find, especially as the days grow shorter, the weather turns colder "and our hearts grow heavy in the face of a tumultuous world."
A military aide stands among the Christmas decorations in the State Dining Room at the White House on Nov. 28, 2022. Aides say she was inspired by people she met while traveling around the country and by the nation’s founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Located in the State Dining Room, the gingerbread White House took 20 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 30 sheets of gingerbread dough, 30 pounds of chocolate, and 40 pounds of royal icing to construct. The White House pets are depicted sitting in gift boxes from Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that delivers care packages to deployed troops, first responders, and military families.
Each family who made this house a home reminds us all of the enduring love and lasting bonds of family. The official Christmas tree, an 18-foot-tall Fraser Fir from Fleetwood, N.C., stands in the center of the oval Blue Room during a media preview of the 2023 holiday decorations at the White House on Monday. The Library honors the tradition and magic of bedtime stories during the holiday season. Golden moons and shimmering stars are suspended above, with treasured holiday storybooks throughout the peaceful scene. Santa and his sleigh are seen through the window, flying past a full moon on his way to the White House.
The room was dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to serve as the White House Library in 1935 and now holds approximately 2,700 volumes of books, focusing primarily on American history and literature. Dating back to the Eisenhower administration, a large Christmas tree has been consistently featured in the Blue Room. This view shows the White House from the Ellipse, where the National Christmas Tree is surrounded by smaller trees representing the 50 states. The room also displays a Nativity scene with over 40 figurines that dates back to the 18th century. The gold-star ornaments are engraved with service members' names, ranks, and dates of death.
With bright colors and three-dimensional elements, guests will gaze in wonder as they are taken on a delightful adventure around the tree. A replica of a vintage passenger train, on loan from the Train Collectors Association, magically weaves through the tree’s base. In the Grand Foyer and Cross Hall of the White House, metal ribbons are inscribed with the names of all the 57 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and mark the year each entered the Union. Mirrored ornaments and reflective surfaces ensure that visitors can see themselves in the décor, noting that the strength of our country—the Soul of our Nation—comes from We the People. In the Red Room, towers of candles and glowing stained-glass windows reflect the comfort, peace, and strength we find in faith. It’s often in quiet, candlelit rooms when we can see most clearly and feel most connected to ourselves and the world around us.
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