Posted on: Friday, December 10, 2004
It's a white Christmas at the White House
By Linda Hales
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The White House prepares for Christmas in July, if not earlier, running the risk in an election year that an innocent holiday theme will become a symbolic last hurrah.
This year's theme is "merriment and melody," and for first lady Laura Bush, who unveiled her seasonal decor last week, the frosty, all-white decorations sparkled like a new beginning.
"I'm glad to have a few more Christmases here," she acknowledged while posing for photographs in a crimson suit. "One of the things I really thought about was, was this going to be our last Christmas here?"
To the victor go the spoils, which this year include 660 feet of garlands, 245 wreaths, 221 bows and 155,500 lights on 41 trees, plus the traditional holiday highlight, a 300-pound gingerbread White House in the State Dining Room.
From the East Room through the Cross Hall and into the Grand Foyer, decorators were clearly frost-smitten. More than a dozen towering firs have been hung with silvered glass icicles and glitter-encrusted orbs and blanketed in artificial snow. The twinkle of tiny gold lights tucked in among the white ones casts a soft glow on the filmy plastic flakes.
No one mentioned that the trees are a virtual repeat of the first Bush holiday season. In 2001, 49 spruces were dusted with 800 pounds of plastic snow and Texas-size doses of tinsel. White House florist Nancy Clarke agreed that this year's look is "very, very similar," but she assured that the white stuff is new, even if ornaments might be recycled.
Clarke was also responsible for the ultra-simple centerpieces of white tulips and white roses massed in vermeil containers in the State Dining Room and East Room. In the Red Room, a bowl of pomegranates nestled in magnolia leaves made an equally straightforward but elegant statement.
Mrs. Bush greeted reporters and photographers in the East Room, where an 18th-century Italian creche is on display, as it has been each Christmas season for more than 30 years. Portraits of George and Martha Washington have been reinstalled with new gilded frames.
"This room is always so beautiful, no matter how it's decorated," she said.
In keeping with the musical theme, familiar tunes inspired 13 vignettes of handcrafted and painted characters arranged on mantels and pier tables. "Frosty the Snowman" stars in the East Room, with "(I'm Dreaming of a) White Christmas" depicted in the Entry Hall.
In the Blue Room, an 18-foot-6 noble fir from Rochester, Wash., has been hung with 350 musical instruments. From banjos to grand pianos, each was hand-painted by a member of the Society of Decorative Painters. The tree also sports 390 colored balls and 32,500 lights.
The White House remains closed to public tours. Yet an estimated 44,000 guests, including military families, are likely to view the decorations over the holiday season.
