Melania Trump Made A Big Change With This Year's White House Christmas Decorations
The holiday season is here, and with it comes all the drama and delight of arguing with your family and friends about matters of taste (seriously, please, no one get me earmuffs this year). But when it comes to finding a guiding light for holiday décor, many of us are interested to find out what's happening at the most prominent home in the United States — the White House. Well, these photos of the 2018 White House Christmas decorations show that this year, the first family is keeping it real classic.
On Monday, Nov. 26, as the rest of us were still shaking off our holiday turkey comas and meandering back to work, first lady Melania Trump tweeted out a few snapshots of her reviewing this year's Christmas decorations at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The sneak peek showed the first lady, attired in a black coat and leather gloves (what, is Donald worried about the heating bill?), touching several of the decorated trees and walking around the White House. According to a White House press release, the theme of this year's decorations is "American Treasures," which is intended to "[honor] the unique heritage of America." The press release goes on to highlight the specific decorations in certain rooms and areas, including the Gold Star Family tree in the East Wing, a harvest-themed display in the Green Room, and an intricate gingerbread house version of the White House and National Mall in the state dining room. In a statement about the decorations, the first lady said,
Our theme honors the heart and spirit of the American people. Thank you to the many volunteers and staff who worked hard to decorate the halls of the People’s House in Christmas cheer.
In case you wanted more angles, FLOTUS also tweeted out a walkthrough video of the decorations, complete with concept art of the New York City skyline and a shot of a "Be Best" tree ornament.
While matters of taste are all subjective and one person's fancy party is another person's classless trash heap, it's clear that Trump has seriously revamped her approach to holiday decorating since last year. In 2017, the first lady took a lot of heat for holiday decor that a lot of people felt was a little more Nightmare Before than it was Christmas.
Oof. Given those jokes, I can't blame her for going in a slightly safer direction.
Because that wasn't even the worst of it all. Adding to the "what's going on at the White House" weirdness back in 2017 was a viral video of the first lady watching some ballerinas perform at the White House on Nov. 27, 2017. Everyone was perplexed about Trump's absolute, unrelenting stoicism while... watching some talented dancers? It was all very Stepford wife and just a bit concerning to some people.
Apparently, this year the first lady chose to go in a slightly different direction with the holiday theme. At least with "American Treasures," we can be sure that there'll be plenty of opportunity to indulge in the family love of gold hues in interior decorating.
