Obama White House Decorations: Traditional, With a Few Twists

Moving through the corridor along the wintery Rose Garden, visitors snap pictures of wreaths and historical documents, though there didn't seem to be much thought put into this portion of the wing.

Anticipating the usually grand East Room filled with Christmas decorations, visitors may be surprised to find the room mostly empty, with a few garlands on the four fireplace mantels and four wreaths around the windows. I asked a guard why the East Room was so relatively bare this year, and he shrugged and said he didn't know.

But through the East Room, visitors catch their first glimpse into the Grand Foyer, the spectacular centerpiece of the holiday display with two 15-foot, sparkling Christmas trees, a live band playing Christmas music and decorations in every nook, perfectly matching the décor of the stately hallway.

Taking turns, visitors have their pictures taken in the main doorway of the Grand Foyer, under the presidential seal and between the two huge trees. This is the "money shot" that political insiders have been uploading to their Facebook pages all month.

In the colorful Green, Red and Blue rooms adjoining the Grand Foyer, the holiday trimmings are festive, traditional and lovely.

The most exciting new addition is an enormous 18-foot tree in the Blue Room, featuring huge, hand-crafted balls decorated with local landmarks from across the country. Mrs. Obama said the White House "took about 800 ornaments left over from previous administrations . . . sent them to 60 local community groups throughout the country, and asked them to decorate them to pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then send them back to us for display here at the White House."

The recycled ornaments are charming in their imperfection, and visitors have fun finding the ornaments from their home states.

My personal favorites include an ornament for Ben's Chili Bowl, a D.C. landmark whose owner passed away this year; the National Infantry Museum, which Gen. Colin Powell inaugurated this year in Georgia; the Chesapeake Bay (my home state of Maryland), and the Georgia Peach (just because it's cute).

In the State Dining Room, the annual White House gingerbread house surprised visitors because it is, well, white. Guards explained repeatedly that the house was indeed made of brown gingerbread, but the pastry chef covered it with white chocolate. Though a clever idea to make the White House actually white, most people seemed disappointed to find the gingerbread house was unrecognizable.

Also, the First Lady explained that two new additions were made to the White House gingerbread house this year: "A shadow box that lets you look into the gingerbread White House and view the State Dining Room" with "a little Bo replica" of the family dog, and a replica of Mrs. Obama's new vegetable garden on the South Lawn.

Unfortunately, when I was touring, the public could not see the new items because the room was blocked off by ropes and stanchions.

That's because Martha Stewart and her entourage had exclusive access to the room -- so she could take her own pictures of the gingerbread house up close (but with her back to the public so no one else could take her picture).

Leaving through the north portico, guests were thrilled to see the classic green garlands draped above their heads outside the door to the White House. Only a Grinch would not be in awe of our annual American tradition and the beauty of the White House Christmas decorations.

Merry Christmas to all! Click below for a packed slideshow of photos from my White House visit:

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