Every Magical Detail From the White House's 2024 Holiday Decorations
How do you decorate the White House for the holidays? With 165,075 twinkling lights, 28,125 gleaming baubles, 83 trees, 50 pounds of icing, and a small army of 300 volunteers.
That’s what went into the 2024 White House decorations, which First Lady Jill Biden will officially unveil to the public this morning. The dazzling annual display, themed “Season of Peace and Light,” transforms the historic rooms of the executive mansion into a veritable wonderland filled with pine forests, touching tributes, and—yes—plenty of seasonal treats.
“The holidays have always held a special place in our hearts, and we’ve loved opening the doors of the People’s House wider and wider each year, continuing the spirit of goodwill and gratitude,” the First Lady and President Joe Biden wrote in a special visitor’s guide book.
“America’s story is your story, and we hope you feel at home here.”
Not many would feel at home in the imposing formal spaces, but the First Lady and her team tapped Bryan Rafanellli—a star event producer who designed Christmas for the Obama White House and produced Naomi Biden’s 2022 White House nuptials—to help pull off the extravaganza, which features everything from a scale gingerbread model of the White House, a rotating carousel, and a mini vintage Christmas pick-up truck.
“What's always been my purpose when I collaborate with the First Lady is to make sure it's a true reflection of her,” Rafanelli told ELLE DECOR, standing in the White House’s dazzling cross hall, where the ceiling was festooned with thousands of paper doves. “She loves classic Christmas and really wants to put that forward.”
Rafanelli and his team collaborated with about a dozen companies and hundreds of crafters to decorate the East Wing. Entering through the East Wing Lobby, guests are ensconced by floor-to-ceiling garlands covered in gold baubles framing the gleaming Gold Star Christmas tree, honoring fallen or missing-in-action members of the military. From there, visitors wander through the remaining East Wing Rooms where they’ll discover everything from a bevy of rotating vintage glass Christmas trees (which Rafanelli and his team sourced by scouring thrift stores and church sales); a baker’s bench brimming with bread in the China room; and elaborate floral displays alongside portraits of Jacqueline Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson in the Vermeil Room.
There are challenges with working within such a significant building, Rafanelli says: “You have to carefully edit ideas so that it talks to the architecture of the house.”
No where is that more apparent than in the towering East Room, where shimmering confetti hangs from a mirrored canopy like glistening snowflakes and where a traditional Neapolitan crèche sits alongside Gilbert Stuart’s stately painting of George Washington. In fact, the decor joins tens of thousands of treasures in the White House collection. “[It’s about] really trying to figure out how we could do something extraordinary from a design point of view, without compromising the house,” Rafannelli adds.
A special cohort of National Guard families were invited to get the first public peek into the festivities as part of the First Lady’s Joining Forces initiative. From this week onward, more than 100,000 guests are expected to take in the White House wonderland.
The spectacle marks the final one for the Biden administration and comes on the heels of a divisive election cycle. But the First Lady and President underscored the need for unity, this holiday season. “At the holidays, Americans come together every year in fellowship and faith, reminding us that we are stronger as a community than we are apart,” the pair wrote for the display’s visitor’s guide book.
“It has been the honor of our lives to serve as your President and First Lady,” the First Lady and President continued. “Our hope is for the Nation to be blessed with the peace and light of the holiday season. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.”
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