Melania Trump unveils 2019 Christmas decorations – complete with White House-themed advent calendar
Melania Trump has debuted this year’s White House Christmas decorations on social media – and they do not disappoint.
The first lady, 49, shared a video of the look on her official Twitter and Instagram accounts earlier today.
This year’s display is a homage to “The Spirit of America”.
The footage begins with Melania opening one of the doors of a giant advent calendar crafted in the shape of the White House.
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This isn’t the only mini White House on display – towards the end of the video, Melania adjusts tiny festive wreaths on a gingerbread White House as bakers look on.
The flag colours (red, white and blue) take centre-stage, from a fireplace covered in red roses, the national flower of the US since 1986, to flag-themed ornaments in the trees, together with festive gold and green.
There are large white star ornaments hanging from the ceiling to represent the star-spangled banner.
The video also includes a nod to the first lady’s own work: a Scrabble ornament that spells out “Be Best”, a homage to her public awareness campaign, which centres around wellbeing for youth and advocates against cyberbullying and drug use. Among the Christmas tree ornaments there are also dominos and playing cards with cute animal designs on them.
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The tradition of the US president’s wife decorating the White House for Christmas dates back to first lady Lou Henry Hoover, who put up the the first official White House Christmas tree in 1929 – and Melania has perpetuated this tradition to a somewhat mixed reception over the years.
This year, it seems her designs have proved popular with some social media users.
Beautiful and classic. Thank you, Melania!
— Gertrude Lyles (@Gertrude_Lyles) December 2, 2019
It is beautiful. Thank you Melania. And thanks to the many people I know worked very hard to help bring about your vision.
— Cat Cat 73 (@CatCas2016) December 2, 2019
Oh wow it is sooo beautiful. Thank you for sharing. May you and your family have a blessed Xmas xxx
— Ann Swanepoel (@AnnSwanepoel1) December 2, 2019
Last year Melania was mocked for her choice of red Christmas decorations – people on Twitter mocked a video of her walking through deep-red trees, comparing the scene to everything from The Handmaid’s Tale to ground meat.
The year before, in 2017, her white and black decorations were compared to the dwelling of Harry Potter’s Voldemort.