With this season's theme, a timeless tradition,

the decorations throughout the White House inspire

visitors to celebrate long-held traditions,

while also creating new memories.

The holiday décor was executed by 89 volunteers

from across the country.

Let's go inside.

Multiple Speakers: Welcome to the White House!

Female Speaker: We're the 2015 holiday volunteers.

Enjoy the tour!

Narrator: An administrative tradition,

the East Landing customarily honors the courageous men

and women of the armed forces.

The names on these ornaments pay tribute to those heroes

who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Families of Gold Star service members are invited

to honor their loved ones by hanging special Gold Star

ornaments here on the tree.

(music)

To learn more about how to support our troops,

veterans, military families, and gold star families,

visit JoiningForces.gov.

(music)

Each of the 56 states and territories that make up the

United States is represented with a snowflake dangling

from the ceiling in the East Colonnade.

Starting a new tradition last season,

Mrs. Obama asked public school students from

Washington, DC to share their dreams for the future

in the East Colonnade.

This year, those goals are featured on the

hand-crafted snowflakes.

(music)

The wintry stroll continues through the East Colonnade

into the East Garden Room, a space dedicated to the White

House's current furry inhabitants, Bo and Sunny.

Hey, there they are now.

While dreams of milk bones and tennis balls dance in

their heads, the First Family's Portuguese water

dogs are here to help celebrate the season.

(music)

From classic works of fiction,

to first-hand accounts of important moments in our

nation's history, the books in the White House library,

over 2,700 in total, surround the room

and fill the walls.

Designed and decorated by Carol Lim and Huberto Leon

of opening ceremony in Kenzo,

this room features a holiday forged of novels and

manuscripts, and is trimmed with pages of text that

celebrate our American story.

Gilded silver illuminates portraits of First Ladies in

the Vermeil Room, designed and decorated by Duro Olowu.

Two Christmas trees dressed in vintage fabric create a

vibrant image of the holiday season.

The festive displays, warm and inviting,

emulate hospitality shown by First Ladies

throughout history.

(music)

The China Room's holiday décor,

designed and decorated by Carolina Herrera,

is inspired by the Obama family's China service.

Chosen by First Lady Michelle Obama,

this china pattern features a bright Kailua blue,

evoking the waters off the coasts of the President's

home state of Hawaii.

Four grand trees adorned with ornate decorations help

enliven the largest room in the White House.

A long-standing holiday tradition,

the White House crèche, graces this room.

The nativity scene, made of terracotta and

intricately-carved wood, was fashioned in Naples, Italy,

in the 18th century.

Donated to the White House in the 1960s,

this piece has sat in the East Room for the holidays

for more than 45 years, spanning 9 administrations.

Inspired by friends flocking together to celebrate the

holidays, garlands of sparkling gems and teal

ornaments plumed with peacock features deck the

trees and mantle in the Green Room.

This room, with walls covered by emerald silk,

has played host to private dinners and teas

throughout the years.

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Inside this oval room, one of four in the White House,

the official White House Christmas tree,

a Fraser fir from Bustard's Christmas Tree Farm in

Lansdale, Pennsylvania, stands 18 feet,

1 inch tall from trunk to tip.

Dedicated to our nation's service members, veterans,

and their families, it is ornamented with holiday

messages of hope for our troops,

and patriotic symbols of red, white, and blue.

To compliment its vibrant ruby hue,

the Red Room customarily glistens with cranberries

during the holidays.

The two Christmas trees in the windows emit a warm

crimson glow, as cranberry garlands, apples,

and pomegranates decorate their branches.

Bright red cardinals and crisp,

golden oak leaves embody the cheerful spirit of the

season, and accentuate the wintry green garland that

drapes across the mantle.

(music)

President and Mrs. John Adams hosted the first White

House Christmas party in December of 1800.

And while holiday celebrations were not grand

state affairs, they became family-oriented traditions

that promoted good cheer amongst children

and adults alike.

The Kennedy administration represented a new

generation, and accordingly, introduced a livelier form

of entertaining.

Guests mingled, while sharing traditional

libations in the State Dining Room.

And the People's House emerged as a symbol

of national pride.

(music)

The White House executive pastry chef, Susan Morrison,

is shown here with the annual White House

gingerbread house, a staple of the holidays

for the past half-century.

(music)

During the holidays, beneath a gaze of Presidents past,

and surrounded by the history of our great nation,

friends and fellow Americans fill the White House with

laughter and joy.

Thanks for coming by the White House,

and Happy Holidays!

(music)

Multiple Speakers: Happy Holidays!

Male Speaker: From the People's House to your house.