Holiday Cheer at the White House
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 11:30 AM 
Images by Alex Wong / Getty Images
We wanted to share a few of the wonderful White House holiday decorations, which Mrs. O debuted yesterday. The top image is of the Official White House Christmas Tree, on display in the Blue Room. The Douglas Fir is decorated with eco-friendly LED lights and adorned with more than 800 ornaments from past administrations. The second image takes us inside the Red Room of the White House, decorated with cranberry garlands and wreaths. The final image, a close-up on one of the trees, made us think of Mrs. O's style and her penchant for a good bow!
As we wrote yesterday, Simon Doonan of Barneys is spearheading holiday decorations at the White House this year. We would have expected a touch of the nontraditional, but it appears Mr. Doonan has kept with the classics and they are quite lovely indeed. Click here for further reading on the collaboration.
Reader Comments (21)
Gorgeous, elegant, old-fashioned, White House-appropriate yet not ostentatious. So glad Malia and Sasha are at the WH. I can't imagine how magical these gorgeous atmosphere is for them!
A visual feast of festivities and colour. Simply wonderful. Michelle and her team have done a splendid job. The two first Princesses are going to have a ball this Christmas at the White House.
I LOVE ALL THE FESTIVE DECORATION ON THIS CHRISTMAS TREE YOU CAN SEE THE FLOTUS
AND THE FIRST PRINCESS HAD A HAND IN DECORATING THIS CHRISTMAS TREE. THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED AT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR YEARS THEY MUST ENJOY HAVING
TWO YOUNG LADIES TO FUSS OVER AT THIS HOLIDAY TIME.
Lovely.
I love the red bows - very Mrs. O! Reminds me of the color of the Glamour cover dress
Awww, I was really hoping for a recap of the dominatrix Maggie Thatcher...
The holiday decorations of the White House are amazing. Hats off to the many volunteers that make it happen each and every year, they are to be commended!. I bet that place smells something wonderful, I mean, can't you just smell those aromas flowing through each room? Be still my beating heart!
Yes I did expect a touch of the non "Traditional" decorations, but hey, maybe next year .The tree are beautiful......I sure would love to have a peek at the one in the residence, where I'm sure Mrs. O's personal style and taste would be reflected. I can only imagine.
I am just so thrilled that there are children at the White House this Christmas (namely Malia & Sasha) who will have a ball.The smell of Christmas pine trees.......uuhh so wonderful!
I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE BUT I THINK NEXT YEAR I WILL TAKE A TRIP
TO WASHINGTON AND TAKE THE TOUR OF THE PEOPLES HOUSE
The tree looks great...
Is anyone watching the ceremony ? I thought the President's speech was really nice.
Great photos up on Yahoo of the first family at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//091203/ids_photos_ts/r2548369493.jpg/#photoViewer=/091203/ids_photos_ts/r2339851705.jpg
FLOTUS read "'Twas the night before Christmas" to kids and Sash and Malia helped flip the switch to light up the tree. FGOTUS was there too. Love the coats she and FLOTUS were wearing.
Just got finished watching the Tree lighting ceremony and boy are my spirits high right now. First lady looked beautiful as usual and so did the whole family. It looked like they were all having a great time. Here is my fave pic of them lighting the Christmas Tree
The theme for Christmas at the WH this year is: "Reflect, Rejoice, and Renew."
I think it's a nice touch that tree ornaments from past administrations are being used.
The decorations are beautiful ! I would love to see the Obamas celebrate Kwanzaa in the White House this year too!
Sort of puts my decorations in the shade!
(I love Simon Doonan. For a taste of nontraditional, I recommend his books: Confessions of a Window Dresser (a short bio plus fab pix of his windows); Wacky Chicks: Life Lessons from Fearlessly Inappropriate and Fabulously Eccentric Women (including Amy Sedaris); Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You (features my personal goddess Tilda Swinton) and Nasty: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints (extends some of the stories in Confessions) (paperback version is called Beautiful People).
Doonan is a riot--check out his books on fashion.
lovely decorations, glad to see in these economically hard times for us all that the WHITE HOUSE is leading the way. proving that you can reuse, recycle and still have something beautiful and meaningful without spending a fortune. I treasure the ornaments that have been passed down to me as well as those from friends in previous years and those my children made me when they were young and am glad to see the first family leading the way in re-cycling and re-using. God bless the first family and best wishes in the new year.
MS. O THE TREES ARE BEAUTIFUL ESPECIALLY THE ONE WITH THE ORANGE ON IT THAT'S MY COLOR. I WISH I COULD VISIT FOR MY 50TH BIRTHDAY.. ANYWAY HAVE A BLESS XMAS YOU AN..D YOUR FAMILY AND I WONT FORGET BOE
When every American in America is cutting back. The White House is still spending money on decorations. This is where CUTS should be, just because it is the white house does not mean that it should be OUTRAGEOUS. This is SAD.