Hundreds of volunteers are helping decorate the White House for the holidays

First Lady Jill Biden unveiled the official White House Christmas decorations on Monday. The exhibition was created thanks to over 300 volunteers from across the country.

Updated: December 2, 2024, 2:40 p.m. CST

The halls of the White House are decorated with more than just boughs of holly, and it’s all thanks to hundreds of volunteers who came together to decorate them for the holidays. “What was really special for me was helping decorate one of the tallest trees in the entryway,” said Alisa Cooper de Uribe, a White House holiday volunteer and teacher from New Mexico. “It’s amazing when you look around and see how much love has gone into these last few days,” said Beth Kingston, another White House holiday volunteer and owner of Kingston Crafts. This year’s decorations included 83 Christmas trees, nearly 10,000 feet of ribbons, over 160,000 Christmas lights and nearly 30,000 ornaments. The labor of love took over a week and more than 300 volunteers. “People have said to me this week, ‘This is on my bucket list,’ they’re here with their daughters, they’re here with their best friends,” Kingston said. “The community that this brings and the experience that it gives people will stay with them forever.” First Lady Jill Biden emphasized that each piece was selected to reflect this year’s theme, “A Time of Peace and Peace.” “We are guided by the values ​​that we hold sacred: faith, family and service to our country, kindness to all our neighbors and the power of community,” Biden said during his speech on Monday. Volunteers hope the spirit of the theme remains even after the gifts are unwrapped: “This is a commitment for me, not just this season, but forever,” said Cooper de Uribe. “To pay attention to what I and the people with whom I live in community and the young people who will be our future do, we can ensure peace and light.” The First Lady invited the families of the National Guard , to be the first official visitors to view the decorations on Monday. The White House is expecting over 100,000 visitors this holiday season. For those unable to see the decorations in person, videos and images are available at whitehouse.gov/holidays.