The author in the East Room with one of her favorite White House paintings.
It’s that time of year again — time to take the White House Christmas tour. This year was my 9th year taking the tour, and to tell you the truth it’s not nearly as exciting as it used to be — but I’m always grateful for the opportunity.
This year’s theme was a red, white and blue holiday, but my favorite trees were the white trees with the icicles. Here are a few highlights from the State Floor:
In the Cross Hall, looking into the East Room.
The tree next to the front door. Continues after the jump.
The Red Room (the roses were amazing).
The top of the official White House tree. It’s impossible to get a photo of the whole tree — you can’t stand far enough back on the tour.
The garland surrounding the painting is filled with drums and flags.
The white chocolate covered gingerbread house.
If you’ve been on a lot of tours, it’s easy to quickly walk through the house without appreciating your surroundings, so this time I challenged myself to take photos of some interesting details:
One of the many chandeliers in the Cross Hall.
The view from the Green Room — love the vines growing on the fence.
Close-up of the curtains in the State Dining Room.
The beautiful facade of the North Portico.
HGTV is airing its special on the White House Christmas decorations at these times: December 24, 2008 at 9:00 AM; December 25, 2008 at 11:00 PM; and December 26, 2008 at 3:00 AM. The program is pretty interesting — it shows how they go about planning months in advance and all the work that goes into decorating the White House for Christmas.
Posted by BrightwoodLiving