Following a year marked by significant political change, the White House is embracing the holiday season with a message of unity and reflection. This year’s theme, “A Season of Peace & Light,” unveiled on Monday, blends traditional holiday elegance with heartfelt tributes to community, resilience, and service.
“In the holidays, Americans come together every year in fellowship and faith, reminding us that we are stronger as a community than we are apart,” President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden shared in their holiday guidebook. “The strength of our country, and the soul of our Nation, come from you. May the promise of this ‘Season of Peace and Light’ guide your path forward.”
The decorations, showcased during a media preview, feature an array of classic holiday motifs intertwined with themes of perseverance and hope. Visitors to the East Colonnade are greeted by a striking display of garland arches, brass ornaments, and sleigh bells, culminating in a cheerful red sleigh. The Red Room is adorned with white doves bearing messages of peace, reinforcing the season’s reflective spirit.
This year’s decorations didn’t exactly get a ringing endorsement from critics, writes The Daily Caller.
Despite an obvious attempt at decadence, the decorations still manage to feel cheap. The multicolored streamers-as-curtains are a nod to classic regatta stripes, the nautical, preppy style associated with elite New England rowing teams. But what the hell are they made of? You can see how the material crinkles and puckers rather than hanging luxuriously. These might actually be plastic streamers from Party City.
Then you have the big, floppy Christmas tree. Contrast it to the tree in Rockefeller Center which invariably stands tall and proud, like a stern patriarch watching over the square. Jill’s tree is about as wide as it is tall, reflecting a father figure more like Brendan Fraser’s deadbeat character in “The Whale.” The droopy, flyaway branches are overcrowded with seemingly homemade ornaments, perhaps a “thank you” project from a kindergarten class that visited the White House.
The carousel might be the worst, however, with animals that hearken back to the most nightmare-inducing holiday decorations of the Depression era and even more campy baubles.
One poster suggested 2024’s theme is what you’d get “if a group of circus clowns projectile vomited all over the White House.” I say, it’s what happens when you give a an uncultured lib an unlimited budget to put on a “fancy” Christmas.
The new decorations immediately received contrast with Melania Trump, who will be moving back to the White House in January.
Jill Biden just presented her White House Christmas decorations, and it’s truly the ugliest thing ever.
Melania Trump’s return as First Lady is just as big as Trump’s return. The White House is going to look beautiful & glamorous again. pic.twitter.com/Yuw0yVqJ57
— George (@BehizyTweets) December 2, 2024
The White House anticipates welcoming approximately 100,000 visitors this holiday season. The festive decorations feature 83 Christmas trees adorned with over 28,125 ornaments, 9,810 feet of ribbon, and 2,200 intricately hand-cut paper peace doves.
