Trump vowed to end the âwar on Christmas.â Hereâs how the White House is decorated this season.
First lady Melania Trump  welcomed children to the White House on Nov. 27  and was mobbed with hugs from one group. " She  seriously looks like an angel " one child said. (AP)
The sparkle of the holiday season comes to the White House every year  but  Donald Trump  had promised the country more than twinkling lights and decked halls. As a candidate on the campaign trail   he  pledged to end the perceived âWar on Christmas.â
âYou go to stores  you donât see the word Christmas â  Trump  said last year. âIt says âhappy holidaysâ all over. I say  âWhereâs Christmas?â I tell my wife  âDonât go to those stores.â . . . I want to see Christmas.â
 Melania Trump  seemed to be taking cues from  her  husbandâs desire for a traditional notion of Christmas when  she  unveiled the White House holiday decorations on Monday. It was all doused with an extra smattering of  Trump -style cheer:
 The first lady  makes  her  entrance into the White Houseâs Grand Foyer as ballerinas perform a piece from âThe Nutcracker.â (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Gone were the âSeasonâs Greetingsâ that the Obama family placed on their Christmas cards. The Trump familyâs official Christmas card reads: âMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year.â The dominant color scheme is an old-school red  green and gold. And the official hashtag? #WHChristmas.
 The first lady  made a Hollywood entrance into the holiday press preview  gliding down the Grand Staircase from the private quarters onto the state floor as ballerinas finished dancing to âThe Nutcracker Suiteâ played by the Marine Band. Dressed in an off-white dress and glittering gold stilettos   she  posed in front of trees laden with snow  icicles and glass nutcrackers  a tribute to the White Houseâs 1961 âNutcrackerâ Christmas theme.
Then  she  proceeded to make crafts with children from Joint Base Andrews  going from room to room assembling gumdrop trees and coloring holiday cards. Although there were no formal comments from  the first lady   you could hear  her  chatting with the children about their plans for Christmas  their pets and what was on their lists to Santa.
 Her  vision for  her  familyâs first holiday at the White House was about âclassic Christmas decor â according to a statement that said  she  was involved in selecting âevery detailâ of the decorations. What was described as Melania Trumpâs âsignature Christmas wreathsâ (white pine circles with red bows) were placed on the exterior White House windows. The same simple wreaths in miniature decorate the official gingerbread house  which depicts the southern exterior of the mansion.
â She  is now becoming the first lady of the house and  she âs taking care of the house â said Paolo Zampolli  a friend of the Trumps who visited the White House at Halloween and will return for a Christmas party.
In the White Houseâs official illustrated Christmas 2017 tour book  âTime Honored Traditions â 11-year-old Barron Trump wanders through the decked-out public rooms in a blue blazer and red scarf. But there seem to be no other personal touches or clues as to what a Trump family Christmas is all about.
[I feel so good about myself doing thisâ:  President Trump  pardons  his  first turkey]
 The first lady  has followed a number of seasonal traditions set by predecessors. Before Thanksgiving  Melania and Barron Trump stepped onto the North driveway of the White House to receive an 18Â½-foot Balsam fir that was later placed in the Blue Room. The tree was trimmed with blue and gold ornaments bearing seals from all the states and territories.
There have  however  been a few hiccups in Trumpâs attempt to make Christmas great again. The formal invitations to the series of White House parties hosted for friends  supporters  staff and the press corps went out this month with some messaging underneath the gold presidential seal that sent political media cackling. Rather than calling the event a White House âChristmas partyâ the invitationâs curly script reads  yes  âHoliday Reception.â
Meanwhile  the âofficial Merry Christmas hatâ that is offered for sale by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee had liberals howling. Embroidered with Christmas lights  the red âMake America Great Againâ baseball cap says âMerry Christmasâ on the back. At $45  itâs holiday capitalism at its best.
In other ways  the White House celebration of the season is a continuation of age-old traditions. Beginning in the 20th century  Americans began to focus on the White House during the holidays  said Evan Phifer  a research historian at the White House Historical Association. In 1923  Calvin Coolidge was  the first president to walk from the White House to the Ellipse to light the National Christmas tree . Every president has done that in the decades since.  President Trump  will light the tree on Thursday.
[TGT] welcomed children to the White House on Nov. 27  and was mobbed with hugs from one group. "  [TGT]   seriously looks like an angel " one child said. (AP)
The sparkle of the holiday season comes to the White House every year  but   [TGT] had promised the country more than twinkling lights and decked halls. As a candidate on the campaign trail    [TGT]   pledged to end the perceived âWar on Christmas.â
âYou go to stores  you donât see the word Christmas â   [TGT]   said last year. âIt says âhappy holidaysâ all over. I say  âWhereâs Christmas?â I tell my wife  âDonât go to those stores.â . . . I want to see Christmas.â
  [TGT] seemed to be taking cues from   [TGT]   husbandâs desire for a traditional notion of Christmas when   [TGT]   unveiled the White House holiday decorations on Monday. It was all doused with an extra smattering of  Trump -style cheer:
 The first lady  makes  her  entrance into the White Houseâs Grand Foyer as ballerinas perform a piece from âThe Nutcracker.â (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Gone were the âSeasonâs Greetingsâ that the Obama family placed on their Christmas cards. The  [TGT]  familyâs official Christmas card reads: âMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year.â The dominant color scheme is an old-school red  green and gold. And the official hashtag? #WHChristmas.
 The first lady  made a Hollywood entrance into the holiday press preview  gliding down the Grand Staircase from the private quarters onto the state floor as ballerinas finished dancing to âThe Nutcracker Suiteâ played by the Marine Band. Dressed in an off-white dress and glittering gold stilettos   she  posed in front of trees laden with snow  icicles and glass nutcrackers  a tribute to the White Houseâs 1961 âNutcrackerâ Christmas theme.
Then  she  proceeded to make crafts with children from Joint Base Andrews  going from room to room assembling gumdrop trees and coloring holiday cards. Although there were no formal comments from  the first lady   you could hear  her  chatting with the children about their plans for Christmas  their pets and what was on their lists to Santa.
 Her  vision for  her  familyâs first holiday at the White House was about âclassic Christmas decor â according to a statement that said  she  was involved in selecting âevery detailâ of the decorations. What was described as Melania Trumpâs âsignature Christmas wreathsâ (white pine circles with red bows) were placed on the exterior White House windows. The same simple wreaths in miniature decorate the official gingerbread house  which depicts the southern exterior of the mansion.
â She  is now becoming the first lady of the house and  she âs taking care of the house â said Paolo Zampolli  a friend of the Trumps who visited the White House at Halloween and will return for a Christmas party.
In the White Houseâs official illustrated Christmas 2017 tour book  âTime Honored Traditions â 11-year-old Barron Trump wanders through the decked-out public rooms in a blue blazer and red scarf. But there seem to be no other personal touches or clues as to what a  [TGT]  family Christmas is all about.
[I feel so good about myself doing thisâ:   [TGT] pardons   [TGT]   first turkey]
 The first lady  has followed a number of seasonal traditions set by predecessors. Before Thanksgiving  Melania and Barron Trump stepped onto the North driveway of the White House to receive an 18Â½-foot Balsam fir that was later placed in the Blue Room. The tree was trimmed with blue and gold ornaments bearing seals from all the states and territories.
There have  however  been a few hiccups in Trumpâs attempt to make Christmas great again. The formal invitations to the series of White House parties hosted for friends  supporters  staff and the press corps went out this month with some messaging underneath the gold presidential seal that sent political media cackling. Rather than calling the event a White House âChristmas partyâ the invitationâs curly script reads  yes  âHoliday Reception.â
Meanwhile  the âofficial Merry Christmas hatâ that is offered for sale by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee had liberals howling. Embroidered with Christmas lights  the red âMake America Great Againâ baseball cap says âMerry Christmasâ on the back. At $45  itâs holiday capitalism at its best.
In other ways  the White House celebration of the season is a continuation of age-old traditions. Beginning in the 20th century  Americans began to focus on the White House during the holidays  said Evan Phifer  a research historian at the White House Historical Association. In 1923  Calvin Coolidge was  the first president to walk from the White House to the Ellipse to light the National Christmas tree . Every president has done that in the decades since.  President Trump  will light the tree on Thursday.