00:00Hello! How are you? Hi. Well, gosh, in the swirl of the end of each year, we hope to
00:10begin to turn toward our hope for tomorrow. So as we celebrate our final holiday season
00:17here in the White House, we are guided by the values that we hold sacred. Faith, family,
00:25and service to our country, kindness toward all of our neighbors, and the power of community.
00:34So that's what inspired this holiday theme. What I think of this time of year, a season
00:41of peace and light. We begin with light from the stunning rotating star above the east
00:50entrance is when you all came in. And walking in, we're embraced by the sparkling spirit
00:56of the season as light-filled greenery led us to the first Christmas tree display dedicated
01:04to our gold star families. And this year's gold star tree exhibit is constructed of six
01:17large stars. I think you all saw them by now, right? Representing each branch of our
01:23military. I thought it was just beautiful walking in and seeing the gold and leading
01:28to that tree. You know, the names of fallen service members are written on the gold star
01:33ornaments on the company Christmas trees. And the display honors the heroic men and
01:42women of our country, of our nation's military, who have laid down their lives for our country.
01:48Those who are missing in action and the families who carry on their legacies. So may God bless
01:54our troops and their families. Then chiming bells call us to the east colonnade where
02:04bells of all sizes float above us and line every archway, filling the air with the sounds
02:11of the season. In the east garden room, a horse-drawn sleigh pulls us into the historic
02:18mansion. It was really cute, wasn't it? And there we enter another hall of light as lush
02:27garlands of green envelop us in the tranquility of nature. In the library, a twirling forest
02:34of vintage ceramic trees shines with the color of the holidays. And walking in, I
02:41was taken back to my childhood because when that tree first came out, so you know it's
02:48an antique, we knew Christmas had begun. So across the hall in the Vermeer room, we enjoy
02:55trees of stacked bows and vibrant silk flowers. And artisanal breads spill out of the China
03:04room and we can almost smell their warm aroma, filling the air with memories. Earlier this
03:11year, I opened the diplomatic room. It was the first time to be on the tour. So the expanded
03:18White House tour. So I hope you saw, those of you who were here other years, I hope you
03:23saw the difference. You know, I tried to make the tour come alive. It was important
03:27to me as an educator. So this holiday season, for the first time, guests will be able to
03:33enjoy that space and it features the White House Historical Association ornament honoring
03:40President Carter. God bless him. Now, look above us. Here in the east room, a reflective
03:51canopy wraps us in a peaceful snowfall. In the green room, a rainbow of glass ornaments
03:58fills the room with a burst of color and light. And just outside the green room, we find the
04:04official White House menorah made during Joe's first year in the White House. The carpentry
04:11shop made that themselves. Make sure that you see it. It's truly beautiful. And you
04:16know, it came from wood from the White House grounds in the renovation of this house 70
04:24years ago. That's pretty incredible. So in the blue room, you know, you can't help but
04:31smile when you see that tree. And as the animals move up and down and, you know, and we see
04:38the holiday candy trees lining the tree, don't you feel like you're a kid again? And sitting
04:45on a carousel, you know, is that world of light just spinning around us. So the White
04:51House official Christmas tree also features the name of every state and territory and
04:57the District of Columbia as you look around the top of it. And each year, I love watching
05:03all the visitors and you'll probably see it yourselves when you walk in there, looking
05:07for your home state and, you know, seeing your faces light up as you find like, hey,
05:12here's Delaware or Pennsylvania, New Jersey. In the red room, glowing gifts from under
05:18the Christmas tree lift, light the messages of peace above. And for the state dining room,
05:26we invited military families from the USS Delaware and the USS Gabrielle Giffords, the
05:33two Navy vessels that I have the honor of sponsoring to create some paper garlands hanging
05:41throughout the room. I thought they looked so beautiful. And adorning the sparkling Christmas
05:48trees beside them are self-portraits by students from across the country. And I know that some
05:57of the teachers, some of their teachers are here and they help decorate the trees. So
06:01how many of you are teachers? How many of you are teachers? Lots of teachers. I love
06:06that because teachers always get stuff done. So the trees are amazing. Of course, the room
06:18also features this year's incredible gingerbread house. I love that. Didn't you see it light
06:24up? I mean, it was just so beautiful. And did you see the ice skating rink right in
06:29front of it? And Susie and Carlo did, you know, you did such an amazing job. So thank
06:36you for creating that. And this year's display captures the light of our theme from the glowing
06:46windows to the bright star on top of the house of the gingerbread house. And in the cross
06:51hall behind me, spectacular flocks of hand-cut peace doves fly across the sky. I mean, really,
07:04how beautiful is that? And finally, don't miss that teddy bear driving the vintage red
07:10truck. Now, to you, the people who brought this vision to life, our volunteers. This,
07:19yes, all of you. This would not be possible without your work. It's been incredible to
07:28watch all of you transform this space year after year. And you traded time with families
07:37for hours gluing, you know, with hot glue guns. And, you know, and Thanksgiving leftovers
07:46for tired wrists from wiring ornaments to the trees. Because, you know, you can't just
07:52hang it. It has to be, you know, hung perfectly. I know, some of you are perfectionists. That's
07:59okay. And some of, and you have to wrap them around and around the branch so the ornaments
08:06stay on. Because, you know, thousands of kids are coming through here, and they're going
08:10to try to pull them off. So you have to make sure that they're secure. They always try
08:15to. I mean, you know. But it's during those long afternoons when your hands are sore from
08:22cutting the ribbons just so, from hanging the greenery, that's when these lifelong
08:29friendships are made. And that's when the magic happens. So I'm already hearing about
08:38the text chains you're creating to keep in touch. I wish you could add my name to those.
08:47So thank you for everything that you've done. To Brian Raffinelli, who's back there in the
08:54corner, Brian. Love you. And his team. I'm so grateful for your vision and your leadership.
09:05And to all the incredible decorators who were here, like Glitterville, BMF, Silver Lining,
09:12Sherry Berry Paper, and Design, Frost Chicago, thank you for dedicating your time and talents
09:18to this design. I'm also grateful to the National Confectioners Association for their partnership
09:26and unyielding support. So let's thank all of them. And there's another person who helped
09:38bring the magic of our theme to life. The incredible illustrator of our 2024 White
09:45House Holiday Guide, Zoe Ranucci. Zoe, where are you? Oh, there she is. You'll have to
09:56say hello to everybody, Zoe, because they so appreciate everything you've done. Thank
10:00you for creating the beautiful artistry in your design. So these last four years, you
10:07know, there's a group of people who have helped us stay in touch with the American people.
10:12And they're our correspondence volunteers. So you can imagine how much I appreciate them
10:22as an English teacher and their writing skills, because I teach writing. So all of you are
10:29an essential part of our democracy, and I'm so grateful for your work. Thank you all for
10:35your heart and for everything you've done to make this possible, the People's House.
10:43So for Joe and for me, these are the final holidays at the White House. So standing with
10:50all of you, I remember the first time we walked across this threshold right over here on Inauguration
10:57Day. And the gravitational pull of history guided us forward, wrapping us in the centuries
11:05of stories that live here in this house. Then we were finally able to welcome all the
11:11visitors. And on public tours and on receptions, and as volunteers decorated during the holidays
11:19during the four years, your laughter and ideas harmonized with the echoes of the past. And
11:27in those moments, this became more than a historic house. You made it a home, alive
11:36with purpose and possibility. And that's why each year, we've opened the doors of the People's
11:43House wider and wider, so we can bring the light of more Americans into these halls.
11:52It's been the honor of our lives to serve as your first family. May our nation be blessed
11:59with peace and light this holiday season. Merry Christmas, happy holidays. We love you
12:06all. Thank you.
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