The White House has been very busy since the last plate was tucked safely away following the Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday. The very next day the First Lady along with First Daughters Sasha and Malia, and Bo welcomed the 2012 Official White House tree. Congratulations to Rusty and Beau Estes, the 2012 national Christmas Tree Association grand champion winners, from Peak Farms in Jefferson, N.C., who supplied the tree (a tradition that First Lady Johnson began)!
Today First Lady Michelle Obama announced the 2012 holiday theme at the White House: Joy to All. The first of more than 90,000 visitors to enter the White House was a crowd of military families to see the decorations. The First Lady explained the selection of her theme which “celebrates the many joys of the holiday seasons: the joy of giving and service to others; the joy of sharing our blessings with one another; and, of course, the joy of welcoming our friends and families as guests into our homes over these next several weeks.” The First Lady again celebrated our military on the official White House Christmas tree which stands in its time honored spot in the Blue Room. And of course First Dog Bo was also displayed in grand ways, including a very special something for all the children that come to the White House. The White House staff prepared a special activity, a bookmark with a checklist , that instructs them to find the “Bo-ornament” or “Bo-flake” hanging in eight different rooms of the White House.
Here you can click on the link to download this year’s official guide book that will describe all of the decorations at the People’s House this year: http://www.whitehouse.gov/2012whitehouseholiday.pdf
And sadly, I also remember Dallas’ own Larry Hagman. First Lady Nancy Reagan loved the White House press previews of the Christmas decorations. She thought it was a great way to share the Executive Mansion with as many people as possible. One way she would invite media in was to have a special Santa each year, and one year it was none other than Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing).
