First Lady Jill Biden Unveils 2022 White House Holiday Decorations
We the People: the First Lady’s theme for the holiday decorations this year at the White House. The decorations featured contributions from many, including holiday recipes straight from Dr. Biden herself (Olivia Pasquale/AKSM Photography).
First Lady Jill Biden reveals the official theme of this year’s holiday decorations at the White House: We The People; which focuses on the history and traditions of everyday Americans.
Article by Tommy Lynch, White House Reporter
WASHINGTON - On Monday, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden revealed the White House holiday theme, We The People.
Planning the holiday themes and decorations starts in the spring after the Easter holiday. Over the next half year, over 150 staff members and volunteers work together to decorate the White House for the holiday season.
“As our country gathers for the holidays, traditions may vary,” President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden said in a welcome letter to all attendees, “but our shared American Values–a belief in possibility, optimism, and unity–endure season after season.”
The White House holiday experience begins in the East Wing, where patrons walk through a hallway decorated with white snow and holiday photos on the wall. The photos spanned decades at the White House, including President Kennedy receiving a turkey in 1963, President Reagan building a snowman in the Rose Garden in 1985, First Lady Laura Bush walking her dogs on a snowy day in 2001, and President Biden writing a letter to Santa in the State Dining Room.
As you continue to walk through the White House’s Executive Residence, Christmas music is being played by members of the Marine Band everywhere you go.
“Room by room, we represent what brings us together during the holidays and throughout the year” Dr. Biden said while delivering remarks from the State Dining Room on Monday.
In the China Room on the Ground Floor, kitchen utensils and family recipes decorate the trees and fireplace. Dr. Biden even included her own personal recipe for lemon bars in the guest booklet.
In the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House, the National Parks are celebrated, with each of the four fireplaces representing a different Park: the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, and Shenandoah National Park.
The Blue Room houses an incredible 20 foot tall Christmas tree, dawned with every single state and territory with their respective bird. The tree - from Pennsylvania - represents America as a home for all of its people, furthering the message of We The People.
“You all represent the heart of our communities,” Dr. Biden said during her remarks, “Men and women who choose to serve even as they pursue other careers. Who answer the call of duty in our hometowns as quickly as disasters strike and needs arise.”
Dr. Biden took special care to not leave out any demographic in her holiday display, and this is clear in the State Dining Room, which has been labeled We The Children. Above the fireplace hangs stockings for each Biden child and grandchild, as well as one for their dog Commander and cat Willow.
On the Christmas trees, self portraits of students of the 2021 Teachers of the Year were hung, with their name and age on each ornament. Even with all this, perhaps the most eye-catching decoration was the replica White House and Independence Hall, made out of gingerbread and sugar cookie respectively.
The tours concludes for guests at the front door of the White House that leads out to the North Portico, where guests walk under an arch of golden Christmas balls with a scroll that reads “We the People.”
Celebrating Christmas in the White House goes back to 1889, with President Harrison being the first President known to have set up a Christmas tree in the White House. However, Jill Biden’s We The People builds off of a tradition only spanning about fifty years. In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of a yearly theme with a Nutcracker Suite. With Jacqueline Kennedy, First Ladies began to take the role as the main overseer of this festive tradition.
