December 25, 2011 (Washington D.C.)—This year, the White House chose the holiday theme “Shine, give, share” to give the American people an opportunity to pay tribute to our troops, our veterans, and their families.  President Barack Obama invites you to share a holiday mesasge with our troops by clicking this link:

Share Your Message

A highlight of the 2011 White House Tour is the official White House Christmas tree.  The 18-foot-high tree in the Blue Room honors our military men and women with holiday cards created by U.S. military children around the world.  The tree also displays medals, badges and patches, historic military images with pine-cone frames made by volunteers.

The White House tour also includes 37 Christmas trees plus a gingerbread model of the White House. The gingerbread house weighs 400 pounds, trimmed with white chocolate and marzipan—including representations of “first dog” Bo Obama.  Volunteers from 36 states plus the District of Columbia pitched in on the White House holiday preparations.