A Season of Peace and Light at the White House
The White House has been transformed into a winter wonderland, adorned with festive decorations for the holiday season. This year's theme, "A Season of Peace and Light," reflects the spirit of the holidays and the importance of community.
Over 300 volunteers and residence staff worked tirelessly over the holiday weekend to deck the halls, creating a dazzling display of twinkling lights, paper doves, and Christmas trees. The East Colonnade features suspended brass bells tied with red ribbons, while the Library boasts a "forest of vintage ceramic Christmas trees" spinning on tree-shaped platforms.
Visitors can also marvel at a "reflective canopy" of shiny confetti in the East Room and a whimsical, moving carousel Christmas tree in the Blue Room. The Green Room sparkles with jewel tones and decorations made from metallic pipe cleaners, while the State Dining Room showcases festive curtains made from long, curled paper ribbons.
The official White House Christmas tree, a resilient survivor of Hurricane Helene, stands proudly in the Blue Room. This year's decor includes an impressive 83 Christmas trees, nearly 10,000 feet of ribbon, over 28,000 ornaments, and over 165,000 twinkling lights.
A highlight of the decorations is the annual White House-inspired gingerbread house, a masterpiece of baking and engineering. Constructed with 25 sheets of gingerbread dough, 10 sheets of sugar cookie dough, and 65 pounds of pastillage, it features mechanized figurines skating across a lake nestled atop icing.
The volunteers, led by event planner Bryan Rafanelli, worked tirelessly to complete the decorations while the first family was away for Thanksgiving. First Lady Jill Biden will welcome National Guard families to be the first to tour the decorations later on Monday.