President Biden participated in the annual Christmas tree lighting on the Ellipse on Thursday evening, his last chance to participate in the annual tradition before leaving the White House next year.
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Mr Biden returned to the White House early Thursday after spending Start of the week in AngolaBefore leaving, he fanned the flames when he released a letter Comprehensive pardon for his sonHunter, who was convicted of federal drug and gun charges, and pleaded guilty to tax charges. Asked about the pardon earlier this week, the first lady, who attended every day of Hunter Biden's Delaware trial, said, “Certainly I support the pardon of my son.”
This year's Christmas tree is a 35-foot red spruce taken from Virginia's George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. A collection of 58 miniature trees decorated with ornaments designed by students from every state and territory.
The 102nd Tree Lighting Ceremony will be hosted by Mickey Guyton, with performances by Adam Blackstone, Stephen Sanchez, James Taylor and Trisha Yearwood. Viewers can watch the full ceremony on December 20 on CBS,
2024 white house holiday decorations
Official White House photo by Erin Scott
The tree lighting is the final part of the White House holiday transformation, this year's theme being “Season of Peace and Light.”
First lady Jill Biden unveiled holiday decorations in the East Room on Monday, and spoke to the volunteers who brought the winter wonderland to life.
“As we celebrate our final holidays here at the White House, we are guided by the values we hold sacred: faith, family and service to our country, kindness to all our neighbors, and the power of community. ,” he said.
It takes more than 300 volunteers from across the country to decorate the halls of the White House with approximately 9,810 feet of ribbon, 28,125 ornaments and 2,200 paper pigeons.
Official White House photo by Erin Scott
The White House expects to welcome more than 100,000 visitors during the holiday season. The first lady welcomed the families of National Guard members to be the first to see the decorations on Tuesday. Upon arrival, visitors will see a Christmas tree dedicated to Gold Star families, with six stars representing all six branches of the military. Below the East Colonnade guests will be surrounded by bells “symbolizing the peaceful sounds of the holiday season.” In the East Room, a reflective canopy next to the chandeliers sparkles like snowflakes as two large Christmas trees guard the main entrance.
According to the White House, the first known Christmas tree inside the White House was in 1889 during the Benjamin Harrison administration. It was a very small affair, consisting of only a Christmas tree decorated with candles in the Oval Room on the second floor by President Harrison's grandchildren.
The annual Gingerbread White House manages to combine 25 sheets of gingerbread dough, 10 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 65 pounds of pastilles, 45 pounds of chocolate, 50 pounds of royal icing and 10 pounds of gum paste at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. ,
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Volunteers who bring decorations to life
Alissa Cooper de Uribe, a first-grade bilingual teacher at New Mexico International School in Albuquerque and the 2021 New Mexico Teacher of the Year, was one of the volunteers collecting thousands of pigeons. He traveled to Washington, DC with his family to become part of the White House decoration team.
“It's a brotherhood, a brotherhood. It was a very collegial environment,” Cooper de Uribe told CBS News. “And that was one of the things that really impressed me was how well so many people who were gathered together without knowing each other before, how well these people work together.”
Holiday volunteers are teachers, military families, nurses and small business owners from across the country who apply before being selected for decoration duty. Bright and early the day after Thanksgiving, volunteers arrived at the White House for a full day of glitter and garland before the First Lady unveiled all of their work. The Office of the First Lady sent special invitations to state Teacher of the Year winners like de Uribe to join in the holiday volunteer tradition. Some volunteers created text chains and Facebook groups, intending to stay in touch long after the jewelry was taken down.
holiday decoration centerpiece
The centerpiece of the holiday decorations inside the Blue Room is an 18 1/2-foot Fraser fir that came from the Cartner family of Cartner's Christmas Tree Farm in North Carolina. the tree was one of the survivors Thousands of other people were devastated when Hurricane Helene hit the Blue Ridge Mountains. The owners named it “Tremendous” as a tribute to the resiliency of North Carolina communities affected by Hurricane Helene.
In the state dining room, there are ornaments on the Christmas tree that contain self-portraits of students, including four of de Uribe's first graders.
“This was an opportunity for the students to reflect on themselves at the White House and this season, and this is their space, and this is an opportunity to let their individual and unique selves and their culture shine through their paintings,” de Uribe. Said.