142,000 lights, 34,000 ornaments, tributes to fallen soldiers and Joe and Jill’s beloved pets: The White House Christmas decorations – with Santa’s workshop, 15,000 feet of ribbon and a 200-year tradition

Jill Biden thanked the gum drop pinners and other 300 volunteers who spent six days decorating the White House with candy, fake snow, twinkling lights and a variety of decorations to give it the childlike wonder she was looking for this holiday season.

‘To the gumminers. Thank you gumdrop pinners!’” the first lady said at the first of 24 holiday receptions the White House will host this holiday season. Jill Biden unveiled the holiday decor Monday and the first celebration of the season honors those who gave their time to make the first lady’s vision a reality.

The volunteers played Santa’s elves to transform the White House into a winter wonderland worthy of the 2023 holiday theme: “Magic, Wonder and Joy.”

After three days in warehouses assembling the set, volunteers spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the White House putting everything in place. They rushed to the finish line as President Joe Biden and Jill Biden returned from their Thanksgiving vacation in Nantucket.

The first couple even had to be taken upstairs for a few hours upon their return from the White House so that the group could put the finishing touches on it.

But it was worth the wait.

Jill Biden said she, the president and their family were “just mesmerized when we saw it.”

“I hope you leave with more than just a few friends, because that kind of friendship can only happen when you work together to shape chicken wire into beautiful ornaments,” she told the cheering crowd.

The decorations included elements familiar to children everywhere: red-striped peppermint candies, toy soldiers, dancing ballerinas, rocking horses, candy canes and a tribute to military families — a cause close to Jill Biden’s heart.

White House staff also used overhead spaces and oversized décor to bring out the child in every visitor who walks through the doors.

It starts at the entrance, where guests walk in under the branches of a Christmas tree with lights, decorations and candy canes in the branches above.

And it runs through the house to the state floor, where Santa and his eight reindeer hang from the ceiling at the entrance.

“It is this childlike wonder and awe that inspired this year’s holiday theme: the ‘Magic, Wonder and Joy’ of the season,” Jill Biden will say later Monday, according to a copy of her remarks released by the East Wing.

The Bidens saw the decorations Sunday evening after returning with their family from their annual Thanksgiving vacation in Nantucket.

This year’s Christmas decorations include 98 Christmas trees, 4,500 yards of ribbon and 22,100 bells.

There will also be a tribute to military families and, in honor of the 200th anniversary, an exhibition of several copies of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ through the years, donated by the Library of Congress.

The White House expects to welcome about 100,000 visitors during the holidays, the East Wing said.

And the Bidens will hold about 24 holiday receptions, with the first on Monday. The last one is December 22. The annual Congress Ball is on Monday, December 4. Other guests include supporters, donors, employees and members of the media.

While the guests and visitors make their way through On the ground floor and the state rooms above, they see a variety of decorations related to the theme.

The awe and wonder begin at the entrance, where guests walk under overhanging lights, cookies, lollipops and candy canes.

The White House library was transformed into a children’s room, including a bed with books stacked around it. The Vermeil Hall was transformed into a theater with dancing nutcrackers.

The China Room was converted into a kitchen where sweet treats were baked.

The main entrance to the White House shows Santa’s sleigh flying through the air with his eight reindeer.

Jill Biden praised it as one of her favorite parts of the decor.

‘They are made of paper mache. I mean, it’s just so cool. And it’s like they’re jumping off the storybook page,” she said.

The East Room contains advent calendars counting down the days until Christmas and behind each number lies a special surprise that will be revealed as the holidays continue.

The Blue Room contains the official White House Christmas tree – an 18-foot Fraser Fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina.

This year’s tree is decorated with scenes, landscapes and neighborhoods from across the country, with names of each state, territory and the District of Columbia.

Around the base of the tree rides a replica of a vintage passenger train, on loan from the Train Collectors Association.

The Red Room pays tribute to Jill Biden’s support of military families and her Joining Forces Initiative. The ornaments are made from the handprints and painted family portraits of children associated with the military.

The first lady kept up the tradition — dating back to 1975 — of having fresh cranberries as part of the decor, but this year the berries will be woven through handmade popcorn streamers.

The state dining room was transformed into Santa’s workshop with elf workbenches, stools and ladders around the Christmas trees.

Life-size nutcrackers and ballerinas abound in the room.

It also contains the Gingerbread White House. This year’s version includes a tribute to Twas the Night Before Christmas with a sugar cookie replica of the famous book.

The columns on the colonnade were decorated with red peppermint stripes and red peppermint Christmas candies form the wreaths in the windows.

Jill Biden made it clear that her goal for visitors when they see the White House is childlike wonder.

“It is in these times, when we are looking for hope and healing, that we need those points of light the most – that we need each other the most,” she said.

“I hope that in these times you remember, even if just for a moment or for a while, how you viewed the world as a child.”

‘Because children can teach us something, if we are wise enough to listen. How to stay present even when a busy world beckons. How we can open ourselves to love and wonder. How you can be amazed at every moment, no matter how ordinary.’