Each year, one of the duties that many of the first spouses take upon themselves is the development of the White House’s holiday display, a major event that many throughout the country look forward to seeing! The annual holiday display typically follows a unique theme that resonates across all decor set up throughout the White House.
What was this year’s holiday display theme?
The theme for this year’s White House holiday display is “Magic, Wonder, and Joy”, the core of which is meant to relate to everyone’s inner child and how they experienced the holidays when they were a kid. The displays use bright colors and careful staging to produce mesmerizing details to evoke our most nostalgic feelings for the season.
How does the White House display look this year?
This year the design was quite grand in terms of scale and went all out to capture the theme of child-like wonder. Here are some stats about the White House’s decorations this year:
- 14,975 feet of ribbon were used
- Over 350 candles
- 33,892 ornaments
- 98 Christmas trees
- Over 142,425 holiday lights are used
- It took over 300 volunteers over a full week to assemble all the displays
So, without further ado, here are some of the rooms from the White House’s 2023 display:
It is meant to invoke cheerful memories associated with the holidays’ “sweetness” through the oversized array of traditional seasonal candies and sweet treats.
One of the principal rooms of their year’s White House Holiday Display, the Grand Foyer recreates a scene out of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The oversized gift boxes and decor set the tone for visitors of this year’s display before entering.
This year’s Gingerbread White House display collectively weighs over 170 lbs of combined sugar cookie dough, gingerbread dough, pastillage, chocolate, and of course icing.
Honoring White House holiday tradition, the Red Room is decored with homemade ornaments and a handmade garland iconically fashioned from popcorn and cranberry.
The Ground Floor Corridor takes the iconic colors of red, green, and gold to the extreme while also featuring letters from all over the country delivered to the White House filled with holiday wishes and as well as messages bound for the North Pole.
Meant to represent the iconic sounds of the holidays, this room is meant to represent the joy of seasonal music and performances.
This year, the China Room was converted into a holiday baked goods paradise as an homage to the classic recipes that have been bringing together entire generations of families during the holiday season year after year.