An 18-foot Douglas fir decked out with glass ornaments, red satin bows, and cotton snow; 10-foot tall Nutcrackers standing guard at the entrance to a living area; hundreds of yards of garland, dozens of wreaths, and half a dozen gingerbread house centerpieces… no, I’m not describing what the inside of my house looks like this time of year; rather I’m describing all the Christmas pageantry inside the White House.
Did I mention the first family’s home even has ivy topiaries shaped like their pets– Scottish terriers Barney and Miss Beazley, and the first cat, Willie? It may put our house to shame, but then again I’m not hosting 45,000 guests this holiday season. White House officials estimate nearly 50,000 people will tour the presidential home during the holidays. Those special invited guests will not only get to take in the splendor of the holiday decorations, they’ll also get to dine on a holiday goose or two. Okay, may not a goose, but the White House confirms it does expect to go through 2,100 pounds of sweet potatoes, 4,000 pounds of shrimp, 4,000 pounds of crab claws, plus 100 cases of asparagus, 15,000 chocolate truffles and 20,000 cookies.
Certainly, I don’t think any of us are willing to compete with that. Well, perhaps I should speak for myself. A woman in South Carolina could easily compete with White House staff. According to local newspapers, Melody Howell doesn’t just have a Christmas tree; she has a whole Christmas forest in her Richburg-area home—52 decorated trees–one in every room of her house, including one in the laundry room and another in a bathtub. Howell told local reporters she starts decking her halls in October to be ready by mid-December.
If you are feeling a bit discouraged by those examples of excessive festive décor this next story may (ironically) cheer you up. On the opposite side of the decorating spectrum sits Michigan homeowner Jason Lee. He tells reporters that even though his holiday lawn decorations make him look like a Scrooge, he actually enjoys Christmas.
Lee spelled out “Bah-hum-bug” in Christmas lights on his front lawn as part of his holiday display. (Bah-hum-bug is the curt comment made famous by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”) The sheet-worker by trade says he’s just having a little fun. As for city officials who were alerted to Lee’s illuminated sour sentiment, they tell reporters that there are worse things you can spell out in lights.
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