WASHINGTON (NewsNation) – It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
The Biden White House holiday décor, unveiled on Monday, reflects the “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the season – each room adorned with festive accents celebrating the imagination of childhood.
“The 2023 White House holiday theme is inspired by how children experience this festive season: completely present in the beauty and bounty around them, their sense alight, with hearts open to the magic, wonder, and joy of the holidays,” President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wrote in a welcome letter.
“In this season of reflection and goodwill, we hope you will embrace your inner child and delight in simply being present with those you love,” the president and first lady continued.
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There is a theme, within the theme, illustrated in every room.
The Red Room, for instance, represents the joy of making holiday crafts together. As part of the first lady’s Joining Forces initiative to support military and veteran families, the ornaments in this room were created by military-connected children.
The Library honors the tradition of bedtime stories. Golden moons and shimmering stars are suspended above the space, festooned with holiday storybooks.
In the State Dining Room, Santa’s Workshop is transplanted from the North Pole, with elves’ workbenches, tools and gifts-in-progress filling out the décor.
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Personal touches by the first lady are integrated into the austere grandeur throughout the White House. As an educator, Jill Biden wanted to honor the 200th anniversary of the publication of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” A re-creation of the storied tale is featured on the gingerbread White House, which includes over 50 pounds of royal icing.
The official White House Christmas tree is showcased in the Blue Room. This year’s tree is an 18.5-foot Fraser Fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina, with names of every state, territory and the District of Columbia listed on individual ornaments. A vintage passenger train weaves around its base.
In total, there are 98 Christmas trees, more than 142,425 holiday lights and 14,975 feet of ribbon used to dress up the White House, put together by 300 volunteers from across the country.
In her prepared remarks at the holiday unveiling, the first lady acknowledged that magic, wonder, and joy can be hard to find sometimes, especially as the days grow shorter, the weather colder; as we might miss those we lost; and while our hearts grow heavy in the face of a “tumultuous world.”
“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,” Jill Biden said. “It’s in these times that I hope you remember, if even just for a moment or season, how you saw the world as a child.”
The White House said it expects to welcome approximately 100,000 visitors during the holiday season.
To commence the celebrations, the first lady – as the mother of a former National Guard soldier and part of the aforementioned Joining Forces initiative – invited National Guard families to be among the first members of the public to see the décor.