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| Profile photo: 2022 White House holiday decorations |
First lady Jill Biden has chosen the theme of this year’s White House holiday as “We the People,” hoping that the decorations of the White House will represent the people, and Christmas tree pendants, mantelage ornaments, mirrors, and homemade crafts will turn the public space of the White House into a winter wonderland.
Speaking at a White House event, Jill Biden said: “The soul of our country is, and has always been, “We the people.” It was the inspiration for this year’s White House holiday decorations. “The event is a tribute to the volunteers who decorated the White House over Thanksgiving weekend.
Jill Biden also said: “The values that hold us together are everywhere, the belief that anything is possible, optimism and solidarity. Room by room, we represent the things that unite us during the festival and throughout the year. “
The themes of the public space are the following forces of unity: tribute and remembrance of loved ones who have died, words and stories, kindness and gratitude, food and traditions, nature and leisure, music and sound, unity and hope, faith and light, and children.
When visitors enter the East Wing, they will find the aroma of pine trees, and they will see mirrored Venus ornaments with the names of fallen soldiers engraved on the tree.
Winter trees, woodland animal sculptures, and lanterns placed along the corridor create the atmosphere of walking in the snow.
At the end of the corridor, photos of the Biden family’s pets are displayed in the Gold and Silver Hall and the State Banquet Hall.
Recipes provided by a small group of decorative volunteers give the mantelpiece of the porcelain hall a new look. The first lady shared a handwritten family recipe for apple pastry and pizza, an Italian biscuit.
White House aides say the first lady was inspired by people she met while traveling across the country, as well as the founding documents of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution.
A copy of the Declaration of Independence is on display in the White House Library, and the always stunning 300-pound (136-kilogram White House Gingerbread House” this year also includes a replica of the sugar biscuit from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The pastry chef uses 20 sugar cookie dough, 30 gingerbread dough, 100 pounds (45 kg) of powdered sugar, 30 pounds (14 kg) of chocolate, and 40 pounds (18 kg) of frosting to make this gingerbread and sugar cookie house.
New to the White House this year is the Jewish menorah, which is lit every night during the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah. White House carpenters built this menorah with wood and sterling silver candle cups rescued from Truman-era renovations.
About 50,000 visitors will visit the White House this holiday season, including tourists and guests invited to receptions. U.S. President Joe Biden will meet French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Thursday and host him at a state dinner, the Biden administration’s first.
More than 150 volunteers, including two sisters of the first lady, helped decorate the White House over Thanksgiving weekend.
The decorations include more than 83,000 Christmas tree twinkling lights, garlands, flower ribbons, and other ornaments, as well as 77 Christmas trees and 25 garlands outside the White House. Volunteers also used more than 12,000 ornaments, ribbons of less than 15,000 feet (4,500 meters), and more than 1,600 bells.
Aides say some of the decorations need to be made by themselves, and the first lady wants to encourage people to reinvent them. They include plastic water cups converted into bells and tabletop Christmas trees made from foam toys and small molds from dollar stores.
The corners of the East Hall are filled with snow-capped trees that reflect nature and leisure, and each mantelpiece depicts views of four national parks: the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Senadow National Park.
In the Blue Room, the White House’s official Christmas tree — an 18.5-foot (5.6-meter) fir from Auburn, Pennsylvania — adorns handmade renderings of official birds from all 57 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, representing unity and hope.
The White House said the theme of the ballroom is the next generation — children, and the trees in the dining room are decorated with self-portrait ornaments made by students of teachers who won the 2021 Teachers of the Year award, “ensuring that children see themselves in the decoration.”
The Biden family’s Christmas stockings hang from the fireplace in the state dining room.
The theme of “We the People” is also reflected in the front foyer and cross hall of the State Floor, with the names of all states, territories, and the District of Columbia engraved on the wire ribbon.
As part of Joining Forces, a White House initiative to support military families, National Guard leaders from across the country and National Guard families also attended. Jill Biden’s late son, Beau Biden, was a major in the Delaware Army National Guard.
Before the event, she met with children from National Guard families and said she wanted to hear their stories because “you served your country with your parents, and your courage and sacrifice deserve recognition.”
The White House noted that the holiday guide for tourists was designed by Daria Peoples, an African-American children’s book author who lives in Las Vegas. Pips, an elementary school teacher, has written a series of picture books to support children of color, including those who have experienced racial trauma.
(This article is based on an Associated Press report.)
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