Chapter 7
Time to Party!
Over the years, the White House has been the setting for all kinds of parties, big and small.
The biggest and fanciest kind of party is called a state dinner. The dinner is held in the State Dining Room, in honor of the head of a foreign country, including kings or queens. Everyone wears formal, fancy clothes—tuxedos for the men and ball gowns for the women. The White House chefs try to come up with the most delicious meals they can imagine. At one state dinner, the chef served a version of Beef Wellington, which is beef wrapped in puff pastry. But instead of beef, he used buffalo meat and called it Bison Wellington!
The tables are always set with the most beautiful china at these dinners. Every president is allowed to have a brand-new set of fine china made. At state dinners, every plate has a handwritten menu resting on it, in beautiful handwriting called calligraphy. Guests are allowed to take their menus home as a souvenir.
Elegant state dinners don’t happen very often. Most White House parties are a little bit more fun and relaxed. Bill and Hillary Clinton had their high-school reunions in the White House. They had lots of birthday parties, too. For one surprise party, Hillary came home to find the whole house dark. Then she was led to her room and handed a wig and a costume. She had to dress up like Dolley Madison. It was a surprise party for Hillary’s birthday! All the other guests were in costumes, too.
For holidays, the White House can be turned into a magical wonderland. The Christmas decorations make every room in the White House glow. There are Christmas trees in nearly every room on the State Floor. Live music plays in the Entrance Hall.
Each year, the chefs build a gingerbread house. In 2013, the gingerbread White House weighed about three hundred pounds!
In December, there’s a party almost every single night.
There weren’t always Christmas trees in the White House, though. Why? In early American times, people didn’t celebrate Christmas that way. The first White House Christmas tree was put up for Benjamin Harrison in 1889. Teddy Roosevelt, however, didn’t believe in cutting down trees. He refused to allow Christmas trees in the house. He did throw a huge Christmas party for five hundred children, though!
Other holidays are special at the White House, too. Recently, some presidents have celebrated Hanukkah with a White House party.
In the spring, the White House grounds are open to the public for the annual Easter Egg Roll. Children come and use big spoons to roll their Easter eggs down the lawn. In recent years, every child who attends the egg roll gets a souvenir wooden egg to take home. The eggs have the president’s signature on them.
For Halloween in 2009, the Obamas threw a huge Halloween party. They turned the White House into a spooky house, with orange lights! Musicians were dressed like skeletons. A dancer in a butterfly costume appeared inside a huge bubble on the White House lawn!
President Obama stood at the front door and gave out treats to thousands of trick-or-treaters that year. Inside the White House, the real actors who played characters from the Star Wars movie roamed around for a private party. A magic show was held in the East Room. The State Dining Room was turned into a Mad Hatter’s party from Alice in Wonderland !
With parties, concerts, weddings, and other events, the White House is always busy. Sometimes there are three or four different parties on the same day! The White House serves food to as many as two thousand guests each month—and more during the holidays.
But who makes all that happen? Who cooks the food, sets up the tables, arranges the flowers, and then cleans up the mess after all those people have tramped through?