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Decking the Halls of the White House

December 18, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET by
Summary: 
The White House gets decorated for Christmas.

Nearly every day this month, streams of visitors pass through the White House doors to get a firsthand glimpse of the holiday decorations dressing the Executive Residence. By the end of the holiday season, some 100,000 guests will have visited the White house to see the 27 trees, 61 wreaths, and about 2,700 yards of ribbon canvassing the house. For those of you who didn’t have the chance to see the spectacle, check out this year’s décor:

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Other tidbits:

  • 92 volunteers from 24 states assisted in the decorating for over 3,400 volunteer hours.
  • There are 6 live trees with their roots balled and wrapped in burlap at the East Wing, West Wing and North Portico Entrances.  These trees will be adopted by the National Parks Service after Christmas is over and hopefully replanted in a new home.
  • The official White House Christmas in the Blue Room is a Douglas Fir that stands 18 ½ feet high and is nearly 13 feet wide. The tree is lit with environmentally sound LED lights.
  • 500 stems of dried hydrangea were used, many of which were used in fresh arrangements first and then dried later for use in the holiday decorations.