Fun with CameraPhone - White House Christmas edition
I went to the White House today. (Man I love saying that!) It was simply to see the festivities and the wonderful decorations for the holiday season. Not for anything substantive. Yet, the beauty was almost enough to make this Scrooge warm to the idea of Christmas.I would have loved to take photos with my camera, but no recording devices of any kind are allowed to be used inside. Instead, I'll turn to the professionals employed to capture the moment for posterity. So while these pictures actually come from The White House, imagine they came from my Sony-Ericcson Z520a.
Trees sculpted from poinsettias line the Cross Hall. The White House Christmas tree fills the Blue Room doorway with lights and snow dappled branches. White House decorators used 4,638 red color ornament balls in their festive adornments.
The White House has a total of 17 decorated Christmas trees. Two are placed next to the famous portraits of George and Martha Washington in the East Room. They are trimmed with silvered-glass ornaments painted in red and fuchsia. Between them, recessed in the wall is an elaborate nativity scene.
Red and white peppermint treats are hung on the garland on the mantle in the always seasonal Green Room. Approximately 1,089 feet of garland were used in decorating the White House this year.
This year’s official White House Christmas Tree is a Douglas Fir donated by the Botek family, owners of The Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, Pa. The 18-foot, 6-inch tree stretches from floor to ceiling in the Blue Room. The branches are topped with snow, accented with red ribbons and decorated with crystals and iridescent glass ornaments.
The mantle in the Red Room is draped with garland and entwined with gold etched ornaments. Twin evergreen wreaths decorate the windows. The miniature cranberry tree is a White House tradition dating back to 1975.
posted by Expat Teacher @ 9:20 AM
