I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS

US first lady Jill Biden recently unveiled her festive décor – and it couldn’t be more different from what her predecessor, Melania Trump, served up

-  JANE VORSTER

TEN THOUSAND sparkly ornaments, 41 giant fir trees, 80 000 lights, 1 800 metres of ribbon and 300 candles – Jill Biden is definitely a big fan of Christmas.

As first lady of the United States it’s her job to choose the White House festive décor and she really went to town.

Some might view it as frivolous but President Joe Biden’s wife sees it differently. She says that after the stinker of a year that most Americans have had, it’s her duty to lay on a festive display that offers them lightness and warmth.

“This year has been so tough with the pandemic and I think we’re all sort of craving joy,” she said in an interview with ABC Eyewitness News.

The theme she chose for her and her husband’s first Christmas in the White House was “Gifts from the Heart” and she personally saw to it that each of the public rooms was decorated accordingly.

For instance, the magnificent official White House Christmas tree, which almost touches the roof of the imposing Blue Room, has been decorated with doves carrying a banner embossed with every US state to represent the gift of peace and unity.

The East Room, the largest room in the White House, represents the gift of gratitude with replicas of handwritten thank-you letters the Bidens received from Americans hanging from the trees.