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Bushes To Dallas After Term Ends, First Lady Confirms
WASHINGTON — In the spirit of a tough economy, holiday decorations from Christmases past are adorning the White House this Christmas.
First lady Laura Bush talked to reporters Wednesday about the holiday choices for a "A Red, White and Blue Christmas" during a sneak peek of a decked-out White House, including the official White House Christmas tree _ an 18 1/2-foot Fraser fir from Crumpler, N.C., that brushed the Blue Room ceiling _ and an extensive menu from artisanal cheeses to cheesy stone-ground grits to coconut cake.
More than 60,000 visitors are expected to visit the White House for tours, with 25 holiday receptions and seven dinners planned.
While the official tree holds 369 decorations from artists around the country, the various fir trees scattered throughout the White House have red and blue ornaments from years past. In the ground floor corridor, the White House brought back miniature reproductions of presidents' homes, including those of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, that appeared in December 2001.
"I've gotten letters from people since, really, right after September 11th that suggested we have a red, white and blue Christmas," Laura Bush told reporters gathered in the East Room. "It gave us a chance to reuse a lot of red ornaments, because we had a lot of those, of course. We brought back some other decorations from Christmases past, just like everyone does, goes through their attic and comes up with their old decorations."
She also said the lights on the trees in the White House have low-energy LED bulbs, and she encouraged Americans to use them when their holiday lights wear out to save energy.
In another example of frugal planning, Laura Bush said the first couple would be spending their Christmas money on Texas real estate for what she referred to as the "afterlife" _ the time when they leave the White House in January after her husband's eight years in office. The couple will be buying a house in Dallas, with plans to spend weekends at their ranch in Crawford.
"This year, we're going to be very, very careful at Christmas. I suspect that a lot of other American families will be the same," Laura Bush said. "We're going to try to be with each other, to have what really, really matters at the holidays, which is your family and friends around you, to be thankful for our blessings. ... But also ... we will be moving to Dallas in January. And there might be a new house coming along. So I think that's where we'll spend our Christmas money, right at the real estate time."
Sally McDonough, the first lady's press secretary, said the first couple don't have occupancy of the Dallas property yet.
A wistful first lady spoke at length about a few of her favorite things in the White House, from a dedicated staff to the historical art and furniture to what awaits the next first family, Barack and Michelle Obama and their two daughters.
She recalled a conversation with Hillary Rodham Clinton when the former first lady gave Mrs. Bush a tour of the White House before the Bushes moved in January 2001. Clinton pointed to the window in the first lady's dressing room that provides a view of not only the Rose Garden but the Oval Office, a tip that another first lady, Barbara Bush, had given her.
Laura Bush said she mentioned the window to Michelle Obama, and "I told her she could tell that to the next person that followed her. So I think there's a great tradition of transition in the United States."
When the Obamas visited in November, shortly after the election, President George W. Bush showed Barack Obama the closets and bathroom, and the two "rushed upstairs to look at the gym," Laura Bush said. Bush bikes nearly every weekend; Obama works out on a daily basis and plays basketball.
In the weeks leading up to the holiday, the Bushes will host almost daily parties with some 22,000 holiday cookies, 250 coconut cakes, 600 pounds of asparagus and 700 gallons of eggnog.
The menu ranges from lobster salad with fresh cucumber, radishes and chicory, to herb-crusted lamb chops with madeira sauce to a white and green asparagus tier with saffron aioli. Desserts include brioche bread pudding, chocolate gingerbread cake with chocolate glaze and pecan pralines.
A replica of the White House's North Portico created with 125 pounds of gingerbread and more than 350 pounds of white chocolate is for looking, not tasting. And in a touch of spring, dozens of red tulips filled gold urns on the mantels.
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DONNA CASSATA | December 3, 2008 02:13 PM EST |
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