Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Whether leaderboard ad sticky behavior is disabled

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show expanded byline information on articles

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

Show NLP summaries collection recirc on article pages

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Show the Balance of Power component on the new Election subnav component

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Enable new Elections subnav on Site pages

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

If true, will use a spoofed user agent to scrape and summarize content from paywalled sources

flip back to old full page reload when new updates come in

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Trump transition live updates: President-elect raises prospect of pardons for Jan. 6 crimes

Trump Campaign

Demetrius Freeman

The mood of this year’s White House holiday decorations tilts between calm and chaos, between rooms that evoke peace on earth and good will toward men, and others that simply advise visitors to eat, drink and get in a good laugh whenever you can.

The decor is not so much a fantasyland of elves and flying reindeer, but a statement of stubborn good will and wishful thinking about the best that the season can inspire.

In the East Room, a canopy of glittering, metallic snowflakes float above trees trimmed in silver and white. Their bases are framed by silhouettes of American men, women and children all holding hands like a population of happy little Whos in Whoville. White paper doves signifying peace fly over the Cross Hall like a gust of optimism. Church bells and sleigh bells adorn the East Colonnade. And in the State Dining Room, thumb-size candy ice skaters make graceful loops in front of a gingerbread White House blanketed with snow drifts of royal icing. If there is any single message, in these decorations inspired by <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/holidays-2024/" target=_blank>“A Season of Peace &amp; Light,”</a> it’s that no amount of cultural infighting, political partisanship or shriveled-heart meanness shall steal the Christmas spirit on the Bidens’ watch. Grinches be gone.

Some rooms spark introspection. One would be remiss in not pausing to reflect on one’s blessings and good fortune. So visitors might stand in the grand arched corridor that runs outside the Diplomatic Reception Room and the Vermeil Room and consider the twinkling white lights and the lovely greenery.

Other rooms burst with an audacious, childlike joy because in December, there is no such thing as a Christmas tree that is laden with too many ornaments, a table with too many sweet treats or a room that glitters too much. The China Room has been turned into a bakery stand stocked with baskets of faux breads and pastries. The point, according to the White House guide to the decorations, is to remind visitors of the “peaceful, patient and loving process of baking bread.” For some, that might bring back stressful memories of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/the-rise-of-sourdough-bread-baking/" target=_blank>sourdough</a> shenanigans during the pandemic lockdown. Better to consider the room’s decor an ode to comfort and reassurance in times of stress and uncertainty — a celebration of carb loading. The library is filled with vintage ceramic Christmas trees and glass containers filled with candy. So much candy. Alas, candy that visitors can’t eat.

The planning for these decorations began months ago. Back then, no one could say whether democracy would be saved or America would be waiting to be made great again. Now, each room reads like an exclamation point on the issues and ideas that have animated the Bidens during their time in the White House — specifically the interests of the first lady. The longtime teacher enhanced the White House library with children’s books. Students created many of the decorations, including self-portraits, that adorn the trees in the State Dining Room. And children — and the young at heart — are the audience for the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room. The 18½ foot Fraser fir from North Carolina has been transformed into a carnival carousel with animals bobbing up and down on brass-colored poles.

The Gold Star tree, dedicated to the men and women of the military who have given their lives in service to the nation, is the first tree visitors see on a tour of the decorations. It reflects the first lady’s long-standing interest in military families. She and the president count themselves among their number, thanks to the service of their late son, Beau. This year, the tree is akin to an art installation, rather than something plucked from a forest. The memorial is constructed of six graduated stars, each representing a branch of the military, stacked one atop the other. With sunlight streaming in through the surrounding windows, the tree practically glows. Rather than stirring a feeling of solemnity, the tree exudes vibrancy and reminds visitors that the achievements, sacrifices and courage of these men and women are ever present. The gilded tree rebukes those who would suggest that there’s anything but honor and valor in their sacrifices.

The White House holiday decorations can tell a story about the meaning of the season, the traditions of our national family or simply the emotions that will see us through to another day. In the Bidens’ final Christmas in the White House, the traditional crèche that has been on display since 1967 is in the East Room and a wooden menorah, constructed in 2021 is just outside the Green Room.

Many of the ornaments have been handmade from paper by children. Most of the decorating has been done by some 300 volunteers. Despite the grandeur of the setting, there’s a good deal of do-it-yourself energy. One could argue that it reflects the bootstrapping, anything-is-possible spirit on which Americans pride themselves.

The decorations are joyful. They delight. They reassure. They might even leave some adults a bit wide-eyed. It’s the White House after all. That warm, fuzzy feeling? Keep it close. The winter might be very, very long.

Pulitzer Prize for criticism, 2006

Princeton University, BA in English

University of Michigan, MA in journalism

Robin Givhan is senior critic-at-large writing about politics, race and the arts. A 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner for criticism, Givhan has also worked at Newsweek/Daily Beast, Vogue magazine and the Detroit Free Press.

Robin Givhan

washpost

One last holiday wish, in the Biden White House decorations 

the-washington-post

White House: media preview of the seasonal décor

The Washington Post

Climate

Education

Health

Innovations

Investigations

National Security

Obituaries

Science

National

prism://prism.query/site-articles-only,/national&limit=20

The Washington Post's national news coverage. Get the latest national news, featuring national security, science and the courts. Read breaking national news headlines from across the U.S.