Christmas at the White House - Holiday Decorations & Gifts | Perfect for Home Decor, Office Parties & Festive Celebrations

After reading all the great reviews of this book, my expectations were pretty high but I have to say that I was not disappointed one bit! It's a huge book with tons of interesting information on past Christmases and Christmas decorations at the White House and what goes into making them beginning with the Kennedy years and ending with the second Bush years.I had no idea how much time, effort and energy is spent decorating the White House every year and they spare no expenses! As a matter of fact, according to this book, Hillary Clinton was shocked when she was approached in Spring time and was told that it was time to start planning for Christmas. Every single year the First Lady has the fun job of choosing a special main Christmas theme for that coming Christmas and each year the theme is completely different. And to say that the White House goes all out in Christmas decorations and holiday parties, it certainly would not be an overstatement! I have to also point out that the famous gingerbread White House every year has gotten bigger and more elaborate! Also, over the years it seems that they have added more and more Christmas trees in various rooms. You can actually get some great decorating ideas from the different themes throughout the years.This book is divided into different sections, each section covers a different administration. And what I found really interesting is that each section starts with a personal reflection from either the First Lady of that particular administration or from someone close to her and you get a feeling of what it felt like to live at the White House especially during such a festive time. And there's just so much more interesting information and tid bits at what goes on at the White House during the pre-holiday preparations as well as during the actual holidays.Additionally, this book meticulously details all the decorations and what went into making them as many are handmade by volunteers from throughout the country and the meaning behind them. There are also many gorgeous photos throughout the book of the White House all decked out for the holidays with all their beautiful decorations and the many Christmas trees as well as of the past first families that lived there. If you love Christmas decorations and history combined, you will absolutely love this book! It's worth every penny of it and it's a good price at Amazon.