Jill Biden releases White House Christmas video featuring tap dancers performing "The Nutcracker"

Table Of Content

• First lady Jill Biden unveils this year's White House Christmas decorations
• The Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament Press Collection
• First Lady Jill Biden Announces 2023 White House Holiday Theme:The “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the Holidays
• Newsletter Sign Up
• White House Christmas Decorations 2023
• Presidents and College Football
• Jill Biden Unveils White House Holiday Decorations: 'Magic, Wonder, and Joy'

The massive tree highlights cheerful scenes, landscapes and neighborhoods from across the country. Thank you to children’s book illustrator, Raúl Colón, for his inspired artwork throughout this book, which perfectly captures the “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the holidays. A Red Room tradition since 1975, fresh cranberries are integrated into the decor as topiary forms. Marking a new twist to the time-honored tradition are cranberry red beads incorporated into the room’s handmade popcorn garland. At the center of the room is a mechanical theater creation with rotating United States Marine Band figures entertaining guests with herald trumpets.

First lady Jill Biden unveils this year's White House Christmas decorations

Whether sewing a costume for the Christmas pageant, stringing popcorn for the tree, or fashioning homemade ornaments, the holidays are a time for creativity and imagination. The decorations, previewed on Nov. 27 in Washington, D.C., feature letters to Joe Biden and Santa Claus, reindeer figurines, candy-themed-ornaments and more. Inspired by the 200th anniversary of the publication of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, this year’s gingerbread White House features a recreation of this storied tale. The display includes a sugar cookie replica of the famous book, as well as Santa’s sleigh flying above the White House grounds. This magical poem has delighted children for 200 years, with families across the world gathering together for generations to recite the lyrical lines by memory. "In this season of reflection and goodwill, we hope you will embrace your inner child and delight in simply being present with those you love," President Biden and the first lady wrote in a welcome letter in the commemorative 2023 White House Holiday Guide.

The Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament Press Collection

Law enforcement agencies have uncovered nearly 400 criminal networks that help individuals evade military service by helping them flee abroad, according to Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for the state border guard service. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy envisioned a restored White House that conveyed a sense of history through its decorative and fine arts. She sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. In 1961, the nonprofit, nonpartisan White House Historical Association was established to support her vision to preserve and share the Executive Mansion’s legacy for generations to come.

First Lady Jill Biden Announces 2023 White House Holiday Theme:The “Magic, Wonder, and Joy” of the Holidays

Supported entirely by private resources, the Association’s mission is to assist in the preservation of the state and public rooms, fund acquisitions for the White House permanent collection, and educate the public on the history of the White House. Since its founding, the Association has given more than $115 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission. First lady Jill Biden offered up some holiday cheer Wednesday, sharing a video of tap dancers galavanting around the decorated White House. The group from Dorrance Dance wore colorful outfits meant to represent characters from The Nutcracker – a classic holiday ballet. Wearing a green sheath dress with a matching coat and heels, she posed with children of military families and took a moment to admire the tree's grandeur, afterward calling it "magnificent" and noting, "Some of the kids said that they had never seen a tree so big."

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Ninety-eight Christmas trees, nearly 34,000 ornaments, over 22,000 bells and more than 350 candles were used in the décor, according to the White House. Nearly 142,500 lights illuminate trees, garlands, wreaths and other displays, and nearly 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) of ribbon are part of it all. The whimsical set of oversized decorations is meant to inspire the feelings of awe and wonder that put children on joyful edge during the holidays, White House aides said. Santa Claus in his sleigh and a team of reindeer fly through the columns of the Entrance Hall of the White House. The ornaments on the Gold Star Christmas tree are engraved with the names of military servicemen who have died.

Each star is engraved with the names of fallen service members, she said -- adding that Gold Star families helped decorate the tree. “Each room is designed to capture this pure, unfiltered delight and imagination” so visitors “see this time of year through the wondrous, sparkling eyes of children,” the first lady said Monday at the first of a month’s worth of holiday receptions. WASHINGTON (AP) — Step inside the White House during the holidays by walking beneath the branches of a Christmas tree. See Santa’s sleigh and his eight reindeer suspended above the grand foyer in dramatic fashion.

Flanking the stage are Christmas trees draped with whimsical handcrafted instruments and snare drums, inviting guests to sing their favorite holiday tune. The Gingerbread White House alone includes 40 sheets of sugar cookie dough, 40 sheets of gingerbread dough, 90 pounds of pastillage (a quick drying edible paste), 30 pounds of chocolate and 50 pounds of icing. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, a total of 24 people have died trying to cross the river, according to the border guard.

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The massive tree this year celebrates cheerful scenes, landscapes and neighborhoods from across the country. The Library of Congress provided samples of editions from the past 200 years that are on display along the ground floor corridor. She thanked the "hundreds of volunteer decorators and designers" who made this year's display possible. Glowing candles and stained glass in the Green Room celebrate faith, and holiday craft-making is the theme in the Red Room, where a tradition of featuring cranberries continues. The State Dining Room has been transformed into Santa’s workshop, with elves’ workbenches, stools and ladders circling Christmas trees, and tools and gifts-in-progress rounding out the décor. Jill Biden said it was “so amazing” to see the Christmas tree atop the entrance to the East Wing when they returned Sunday night after spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Photos: White House Christmas 2023 – KIRO 7 News Seattle - KIRO Seattle

Photos: White House Christmas 2023 – KIRO 7 News Seattle.

Posted: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Jill Biden Unveils White House Holiday Decorations: 'Magic, Wonder, and Joy'

2023 White House Christmas tree chosen from Ashe Co. farm - WBTV

2023 White House Christmas tree chosen from Ashe Co. farm.

Posted: Wed, 15 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Two people have been injured after Russian strikes in the cities of Kupiansk and Vovchansk, local authorities have said. We can now bring you more from Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief of Ukraine's armed forces, about the situation on the ground. Earlier we reported that a top Ukrainian general said troops had fallen back from three villages in the east of the country. The only ornament of its kind, the Official White House Christmas Ornament is produced by the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, and made in America by a veteran-founded business. Each ornament helps fund the work of the Association’s historians, researchers, and educators to open the doors to the rich history of the “people’s house” for millions of Americans. "Thank you for bringing Jazz and Tap dance to the Whitehouse this Holiday season! It's a scary world right now, but a respite of two truly American art-forms invented in this country is a breath of fresh air," another commented.

A winter wonderland has arrived at the White House, as first lady Jill Biden unveiled this year's decorative theme for the Christmas season on Monday. During the holidays, the Cross Hall features the official White House Menorah, created in 2021 by the White House Executive Residence Carpentry Shop. The menorah was constructed using wood that was removed more than seventy years ago during the Truman-era renovation of the White House. Arranged in the windows are colorful sprays of crystal and prisms, mixed with shimmering fabric and embroidered starbursts to reflect light.

Also on the Ground Floor Corridor is the first nod to the 200th Anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, a poem and book deeply etched into so many childhood memories. The Library of Congress provided a sampling of editions from the last 200 years to the White House, displayed in cases for visitors to remember and enjoy. Dr. Biden unveiled the decorations at a Monday event, announcing the theme of "Magic, Wonder, and Joy," and thanking the more than 300 volunteers who helped decorate the White House for the season. Dr. Biden also invited National Guard families to be the first members of the public to experience the decor. Biden detailed the festive decor that visitors will see as they travel throughout the White House, which includes 98 Christmas trees, 72 classic wreaths and more than 140,000 holiday lights.

As always, one of the highlights of the decor is in the Blue Room, where the official White House Christmas Tree stands on display. This year’s tree is an 18½ foot Fraser Fir that stands floor to ceiling, and requires the annual removal of the Blue Room’s chandelier in order to accommodate its full height. Meanwhile, the Red Room will showcase the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors, and features ornaments created out of the handprints and painted family portraits of military-connected children. Jill Biden on Monday unveiled this year's White House holiday decorations, themed around the idea of childlike wonder and featuring some 14,975 feet of ribbon, over 350 candles, and more than 33,892 ornaments.

First lady Jill Biden, 72, invited military-connected families to join her Monday afternoon as she received the centerpiece decoration, a longstanding tradition that kicks off several weeks of festivities at the People's House. After delivering a holiday message, Dr. Biden invited the children of National Guard families to a special performance by the cast of the North American tour of Disney’s stage musical, Frozen. This year's annual gingerbread house was created using 40 sheets of cookie and gingerbread dough, 90 pounds of pastillage, 30 pounds of chocolate and 50 pounds of royal icing, the first lady's office said. In the White House's many rooms, visitors will find floating sweet treats, Santa Claus riding his sleigh and the 2023 White House gingerbread house, she said.