The halls are decked for the holidays at the White House, and I got the special treat of touring it Friday! Of course, seeing all the trees and the Christmastime splendor was incredibly fun. And of course I was looking out all the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of the President, Michelle Obama, or even Bo. (No such luck for me.) But I was also impressed with all the work that went into putting the White House into its holiday trimmings — much of it by volunteers. How many trees? How many hours? How many ornaments? Read on to find out what goes into the White House holiday decorations.
54 Decorated trees throughout the White House.
8 Rooms visitors can tour to see the holiday decorations.
6.5 Feet is how tall the official White House tree stands.
6,000 Glass ornaments from past administrations were strung together to make archway and hallway decorations.
350 Collective hours were spent by 12 volunteers to make these colorful, re-purposed decorations.
85 Hours were spent making this absurdly cute topiary of Bo, the Obamas' Portuguese Water Dog.
18,000 Black pompoms and 2,000 white pompoms are what holiday Bo is made of.
40 Handmade "Bo-flakes" were created. These are snowflake decorations with little Bo images. Most are used to decorate the trees next to the Bo topiary. Kids who tour the White House can go on a scavenger hunt to find more Bo-flakes hidden throughout the house.
175 Pounds of gingerbread and modified gingerbread (wheat, rye, and white-flour gingerbread) went into this year's gingerbread White House.
50 Pounds of chocolate were also used for the house.
1 month is how long it took two to three people working two to three hours a day to make the house after the prototyping was complete.
1 Carved White House. For the first time, ever, the White House gingerbread house was actually carved into a cake rather than constructed from gingerbread "boards."
7 Gingerbread houses. Number of houses White House pastry chef Bill Yosses has made in his life.
85 Volunteers from 39 states helped decorate the White House this year.
90,000 People are expected to visit the White House during the holidays.
Have you put up your holiday decorations yet this year?
Images via Adriana Velez
White House A-Glow
Topiary Bo
Bo-Flake
Re-used Glass Ornament Decorations
Window-Lit Tree
Close-Up of a Mirror
Gingerbread White House
Fruit-Decorated Tree
White House Nativity
