(The Lion) — Christmas has arrived at the White House, as First Lady Melania Trump on Monday unveiled Christmas decor and this year’s holiday theme: Home is Where the Heart is.
Trump and a team of volunteers adorned the White House with 75 Christmas wreaths on the windows, more than 50 Christmas trees, 25,000 feet of ribbon, 700 feet of garland, and 10,000 butterflies. The decor reflects America’s enduring “spirit of generosity, patriotism, and gratitude,” the White House said.
“The First Lady approves every piece, every aspect she meticulously designs and decorates with the help of all the volunteers who come from across the country,” the first lady’s spokesman, Nick Clemens, told The Lion and other reporters during an advance tour Monday. Once tours open to the public on Tuesday, the White House is expecting “tens of thousands” of visitors, he said.
This year’s theme is drawn from “the joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business.”
“The constant movement has taught me that home is not merely a physical space; rather, it is the warmth and comfort I carry within, regardless of my surroundings,” Trump said in a statement. “This Christmas, let’s celebrate the love we hold within ourselves, and share it with the world around us. After all, wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities.”
Trump’s decor follows a decades-long tradition of first ladies decorating the White House for the holidays. While previous administrations and first ladies displayed Christmas trees throughout the State Floor, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of selecting a theme for the official White House tree in 1961, according to the White House Historical Association.
The East Room
The Lion’s walkthrough began in the East Room, the White House’s largest room. For Christmas, it was decorated in patriotic colors of red, white and blue to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The trees were decorated with national symbols including golden eagles, stars, roses, and oak leaves meant to symbolize courage, freedom, unity and strength.
The Green Room
Once Thomas Jefferson’s dining room, the Green Room is decked out with playful toys, games, and crafts to celebrate the playfulness that makes a house a home. Two presidential portraits, including one of President Donald Trump, were displayed, created from more than 6,000 Lego puzzle pieces, and toys lined the tables.
The Blue Room
Home to the official White House Christmas Tree, the Blue Room decor is intended to honor the courage of Gold Star families. A towering 18-foot tree from Sidney, Michigan, is displayed in the room with ornaments with the official bird and flower of every U.S. state and territory. The tree is “a tribute to the resilience, bravery, and sacrifice of our military personnel and their families,” the first lady’s office said.
The Red Room
The Red Room was next, representing the first lady’s Fostering the Future initiative to invest in the foster care system. Full of blue butterflies and bright cranberry trees, Trump’s office said she appointed designer Hervé Pierre to carry out her vision for the room.
“Blue butterflies illuminate the ‘Fostering the Future Red Room,”’ a transformational experience dedicated to the foster-care community, a cause the First Lady has championed since 2021,” the first lady’s office said. “The striking color combination coupled with the butterflies symbolic meaning of transformation and renewal capture the essence of Christmas.”
For many foster youth, “they’re still figuring out where home is and what home means to them,” Clemens told The Lion and other reporters of the room. Trump’s work in foster care is aimed at helping foster youth with “their journey into adulthood” and gaining independence, belonging, and success, he said.
State Dining Room
Festive Christmas trees, a fireplace and garland, and a massive White House gingerbread house were on display in the State Dining Room. The edible gingerbread house – made out of more than 120 pounds of gingerbread dough, 10 pounds of chocolate, and 5 pounds of icing – offers a glimpse into a miniature model of the Yellow Oval Room.
“The Yellow Oval that’s on display that you can peer into is how it’s currently designed by the president and first lady, so it’s a real life, real time sort of experience for folks,” Clemens said. “It is edible, but you cannot take a piece with you.”
Grand Foyer and Cross Hall
In the final Christmas decor display, the Grand Foyer features red and gold decor and a live military band playing classic holiday songs. A traditional nativity scene is displayed upon a French pier table behind the instrumentalists.
While each room’s decor is different, it all emphasizes a common theme of “home,” from showcasing America as our collective homeland to tributes honoring the military members who protect it, all while emphasizing the White House’s role as the “People’s House.”
The first lady’s office said it hopes the decor will serve as a reminder “that the strength of our Nation is found in its people – in our shared values, valued traditions, and the steadfast belief that home is where the heart is.”
