Christmas has well and truly arrived at the White House. First Lady of the US Melania Trump has unveiled this year's lavish decorations in a festive video posted on Twitter. President Trump's wife can be seen walking around their Washington D.C. home, admiring the baubles, tinsel, wreaths and rows of Christmas trees that line the hallways. The pièce de resistance, however, was the 19.5-foot tall Balsam fir tree, which sits in the Blue Room.
The theme of this year's decorations, chosen by the First Lady, is 'Time-Honoured Traditions' – a nod to 200 years of festivities at the White House. Ballerinas provided entertainment at the launch, and danced their way through Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.
Ballerinas were at the White House Christmas launch
In the video, Melania, 47, is also seen chatting to staff, including the chefs who have made an incredible White House replica out of gingerbread. "The decorations are up! @WhiteHouse is ready to celebrate! Wishing you a Merry Christmas & joyous holiday season!" the mother-of-one tweeted alongside the clip. Melania, who looked stunning in a cream dress and gold belt, also welcomed a group of children from a nearby military base in Maryland to spend the day making arts and crafts at the White House.
A group of children from a nearby army base were invited to the White House
Melania received the official White House Christmas Tree last week, with the help of her son Barron. The mother-son duo were presented the tree by the Chapman family, who have previously supplied trees to the White House in 1998 and 2003. "Thank you Silent Night Evergreens in Wisconsin for our beautiful tree! @POTUS, Barron & I are excited for Christmas in our new home!" Melania tweeted. Stephanie Grisham, the White House director of communications, also posted a photo of the tree and wrote: "Post #Christmas tree arrival sneak peek! #BlueRoom."