White House halls decked with ‘peace and light’ holiday theme

By Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) — The White House has been spruced up and transformed into a gilded winter wonderland after more than 300 volunteers and residence staff spent the holiday weekend decking the halls for the final time under the Biden administration.

The theme of this year’s decorations, the Office of the First Lady announced Monday, is a “season of peace and light,” drawing on the spirit of the holiday season – and the décor hewed closely to the theme, with thousands of twinkling lights and floating paper doves.

“The holidays have always held a special place in our hearts, and we’ve loved opening the doors of the People’s House wider and wider each year, continuing the spirit of goodwill and gratitude,” President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden wrote in a welcome letter to visitors.

They continued, “At the holidays, Americans come together every year in fellowship and faith, reminding us that we are stronger as a community than we are apart. The strength of our country, and the soul of our Nation, come from you. May the promise of this ‘Season of Peace and Light’ guide your path forward.”

The White House welcomes approximately 100,000 visitors each holiday season, touring the festive displays from the East Wing through the Library, the Vermeil Room, the China Room, the Diplomatic Reception Room and more.

Visitors will walk through the East Colonnade filled with suspended brass bells tied with red ribbons, tour a “forest of vintage ceramic Christmas trees” spinning on tree-shaped platforms in the Library, view a ”reflective canopy” of shiny confetti in the East Room, and see the official White House Christmas tree decorated as a whimsical, moving carousel in the Blue Room.

The Green Room features sparkly jewel tones and decorations made from metallic pipe cleaners. And in the State Dining Room, festive curtains made from long, curled paper ribbons. Nest holiday-scented candles are tucked throughout the tour.

Last week, Jill Biden welcomed this year’s official tree from Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in North Carolina. The tree survived Hurricane Helene, she said, when thousands of the family farm’s trees did not.

This year’s decor includes 83 Christmas trees, approximately 9,810 feet of ribbon, over 28,125 ornaments, over 2,200 paper doves, and over 165,075 twinkling holiday lights, according to the office of the first lady.

And the annual White House-inspired gingerbread house is a feat of baking and engineering: It was constructed with “25 sheets of gingerbread dough, 10 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 65 pounds of pastillage, 45 pounds of chocolate, 50 pounds of royal icing, and 10 pounds of gum paste,” her office said. Mechanized figurines skate across a lake nestled atop icing.

The volunteers, led by event planner Bryan Rafanelli, who oversaw multiple state dinners during Biden’s tenure, worked around the clock to get the decorations in place while the first family traveled to Nantucket for Thanksgiving.

Jill Biden will welcome National Guard families to be the first to tour the decorations later Monday.

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