This Nutcracker pays homage to the military.

In the Library, Mrs. Obama, added educational tools like rulers, crayons, and pencils to the decorations.  That yellow tree is No. 2 pencils --see the erasers? The ornaments spell “girls” in 12 different languages in honor of  Let Girls Learn initiative. In many countries girls are not allowed to go to school.

“The Gift of Families” was represented in the State Dining Room by 56 gingerbread houses — one for each of the American states and territories.

A team of seven LEGO Master Builders spent 500 hours designing and building custom LEGO gingerbread house decorations to adorn the two trees in the White House State Dining Room. They constructed 56 in all, each unique to the attributes of each U.S. state and territory. The South Dakota gingerbread house, for example, has a LEGO Mount Rushmore protruding from its roof, while the Maryland one has a LEGO blue crab on its front lawn.

The Celebratory Ceiling --representing all the thousands of visitors to the White House during Obama's presidency.

This section of the hallway is lined with mirrored boxes tied with red ribbon which pick up reflected images.

Sure, not everyone has access to some of the best culinary artists in the world like the President and First Lady do, but this sweet version of the White House makes us want to attempt our own home in gingerbread goodness. So when you’re decorating gingerbread houses this holiday season, challenge yourself to design it to look like your own address. And worse case scenario if it doesn’t turn out well? You can just eat it.

Volunteers come from all over the country and many of them are florists who own their own businesses. One way to volunteer is to contact the White House and find out what florists will be volunteering their time. If there is a florist near you, you can offer your assistance and ask to come along. If that isn't the case, you can also try writing to the White House Chief of Staff or the First Lady, making a strong case for your selection as a volunteer. Don't worry about writing too early either, holiday planning starts getting under way almost a year in advance.
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