It's the final holiday stretch at the Biden White House. The theme is 'A
Season of Peace and Light'
Send a link to a friend
[December 02, 2024]
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the final holiday stretch at the White House for
President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who has the executive mansion
decorated to the theme of “A Season of Peace and Light.”
The first lady is set to unveil the decorations and deliver a holiday
message at a White House event on Monday.
Several hundred volunteers spent the past week decorating the White
House's public spaces with nearly 10,000 feet of ribbon, more than
28,000 ornaments, over 2,200 doves and some 165,000 lights on wreaths,
garlands and other displays.
There are also 83 Christmas trees in the mansion, including the official
tree in the Blue Room: a towering Fraser fir from North Carolina that
was anchored to the ceiling after the chandelier was removed.
“As we celebrate our final holiday season here in the White House, we
are guided by the values we hold sacred: faith, family, service to our
country, kindness towards our neighbors, and the power of community and
connection,” the Bidens wrote in a commemorative holiday guidebook that
will be given to all visitors.
The White House expects about 100,000 people to visit this month.
Guests will enter the White House under a rotating starlight and will be
surrounded by a collection of bells — brass-colored bells hanging from
the ceiling and sleigh bells lining the archways — symbolizing the
sounds of the holidays as they move along the East Colonnade hallway.

[to top of second column]
|

President Joe Biden accompanied by his family from left, Melissa,
Hunter Biden, grandson Beau and First Lady Jill Biden, applauds
during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in downtown Nantucket
Mass., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Upstairs, the ceiling and windows in the East Room are wrapped in a
reflective canopy to create the feeling of a peaceful snowfall.
Silhouettes of people holding hands decorate the bases of two large
Christmas trees in the room.
Light shines through colored glass ornaments and prisms in the Green
Room while paper doves in the Red Room carry messages of peace.
Doves are also suspended overhead in the Cross Hall.
The Blue Room tree features a light-filled carousel with the names
of every U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia around
the tree's decorations.
In the State Dining Room, a starburst shines above the gingerbread
White House, which this year incorporates a scene of people ice
skating on the South Lawn.
The sugary confection — which is for display purposes only and never
eaten — was made using 25 sheets of gingerbread dough, 10 sheets of
sugar cookie dough, 65 pounds (29.48 kilograms) of pastillage, a
sugar paste, 45 pounds (20.41 kilograms) of chocolate, 50 pounds
(22.68 kilograms) of royal icing, and 10 pounds (4.54 kilograms) of
gum paste.
As part of Joining Forces, Jill Biden's White House initiative to
support military families, the first lady invited National Guard
families to be the first members of the public to experience the
holiday decor. The Bidens' late son, Beau, served in the Delaware
Army National Guard.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved |