Welcome To The White House!

It was another memorable holiday season for my wife Alex and I, as we were once again invited to the White House holiday party hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden!

You enter to the sound of the White House band, playing you into the east wing – here’s a look a our experience at the party:

Once inside, you are free to explore as you wish – like this incredible photo op under the seal of the President of the United States:

Photos are videos are completely OK, so we took advantage of it!

There are a dozen rooms open to the public on this night, all decorated in the holiday spirit….here’s a look:

That’s Alex posing in front of the portrait of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, and there is history on the walls all around you, like the portrait of President Jimmy Carter:

Every single room has been decorated to offer fun surprises like these:

This room houses place settings from every President who has lived in the White House – look at this history:

Abraham Lincoln’s Plate Settings!

Yes, the room has an incredible array of dinnerware from each President – talk about a time capsule!

It’s history all around, and after enjoying the special egg nog and decor, it was time to find a place to watch The President and First Lady give a holiday welcome to us all:

After wishing everyone a happy holiday, The President surprised the First Lady with three players from the Philadelphia Eagles, as Dr. Biden is from that city!

Then, a very magical thing happened: the very talented lineman Jordan Mailata serenaded The First Lady!

After the performance, we talked to Jordan for a moment and I got a slightly out of focus shot:

For those who don’t know, the talented singer was featured on “The Masked Singer” and has a huge fan base!

Afterwards, we continued to wander until a Secret Service Agent asked us to clear a small path through the room, because here comes The President!

Alex met The President when she filmed an entire episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in this very room – the first time that had ever been done! When Biden saw her, he came over, shook her hand and spoke to her!

Hey, give me a break – things were happening fast and I just missed it – but that’s Alex on the left right after he spoke to her!

It was such a great night – the second year in a row we’ve been invited:

Here’s a look at our visit last year!

As everyone knows, 2024 is an election year – and America’s most popular “rental property” is up for grabs again!

Here’s a look at some great books that tell the story of the White House and the Presidency!

Last year, Alex was asked if she wanted a private tour of the West Wing the night after the holiday party – and of course the answer was yes!

We saw the Oval Office and so much more, but on this night, there were NO CAMERAS OR PHONES ALLOWED.

They are confiscated and held in a secure box while you are inside – we were told that rule pertains to EVERYONE – including foreign dignitaries!

We WERE taken to the entryway of the Oval Office, and were allowed to look at it without entering – so this is a stock photo with the President – he was NOT there when we were!

So much history has been made in this room!

Our terrific White House contact, who gave us an incredible tour, did take this one photo of us in the White House Press Room, so we have that memory!

In 2021, my wife took her show to the East Room, and it was fascinating – you can see more of that trip by clicking here:

As you read, I could look into the Oval Office on my “West Wing” tour, but wasn’t allowed to enter it…still, it reminded me of all the action that has happened in that room:

Well, this may have been a movie but much of it took place in an exact replica of the Oval Office. It’s just one of the great films about the presidency…click here to see them all:

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Categories: Exotic Travel, Memoirs, Politics, Pop Culture, The President Of The United States, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir

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