White House Holiday Open House
If you want to learn more about these and the other decorations at the White House, let me Google that for you.
400 pound gingerbread White House, covered in white chocolate. The cut-out is a "shadow box" of the State Dining Room, and in front are the vegetable garden and Bo the dog.
The "Wish Tree" is made of recycled cardboard, and guests are invited to write their wishes for the holiday on slips of colored paper and stick them in the holes of the tree. I wrote, "Peepers mommies want to get married."
Outside, after the tour.
See, it really is the White House.
The view out the windows shown above.
In case you didn't actually receive a card from the Obamas, you can see what they look like.
There were photos of the White House decorated for the holidays during previous administrations. This one is of the Clinton years.
And here's Hilary!
This one is for the folks forwarding emails saying that the Obamas refused to put up a manger scene in the White House.
Lots of pretty decorations in lots of rooms that I don't know the names of.
John F. Kennedy portrait.
Library
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is the Red Room.
This one, I think, is actually the Vermillion Room. I suppose, because there was already a Red Room?
The State Dining Room - the gingerbread house is to the right, not shown in this photo.
Bill Clinton's portrait, and a way-cool piano.
Decorations on "the" tree in the Blue Room. They are ornaments used by previous presidents, which were sent all over the country to be decorated to represent local landmarks and such. I took pictures of a few that caught my eye.
Texas Sports (and a Peace Dove)
A Texas longhorn and possibly a flag.
Hawaii - the birthplace of our president. (Yes. It is.)
What happens to the gingerbread cake after Christmas? It's hard to imagine cutting up such a beautiful work of art, but its harder to picture it being tossed in the dumpster. Hopefully someone gets to taste some of it. Maybe Obama's girls get some in their lunchbox in January? And February, and March...
ReplyDeleteI actually read that it gets moved to the White House visitors' center after the holidays.
ReplyDeleteYou have to let gingerbread sit out and get stale before building with it, and then it's sat for another month or so, so nobody wants to eat it.
I did read somewhere that the chef said that there are usually some bits missing by the time it's moved out, though.
After seeing how it's roped off (although maybe not for actual receptions with mingling and food and such?) I tend to think that might be the White House mouse.
I just caught a bit of "White House Christmas 2009" on HGTV. I am usually not that into such things (although I am a pretty big HGTV fan) but it is neat to see them put up these very decorations, seeing the volunteers make the ornaments, put the gingerbread house together, etc. Very, very cool.
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