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The Isabel Brown Show
Behind the Scenes at White House Christmas: Lego Wreaths and 6,000-Piece Puzzle Trump
00:18:12
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So it's before 7:30 in the morning and I have been asked to be here to sneak preview all of the Christmas decorations in the White House for 2025. I am so psyched we are the first people to see this. It has just been finished decorating. The press hasn't seen this. I'm with the press corps right now, so you guys are going to be the first to see. It was freezing this morning walking across the North Lawn of the White House, but approaching the residence area with the beautiful wreaths that have been put up by the First Lady's office completely got me in the holiday spirit, as if I wasn't already. And the way that the light was hitting the White House and the Eisenhower Building, the eeob, the West Wing, which you can see right there, the Press Briefing Room where I will be back later today, was stunning and and I gathered together with the press pool this morning, which I was invited to tag along with before our sneak preview into this year's decorations. Every time I have experiences like this, I genuinely just find myself in complete shock that like, this is my life at 7:22am on a Monday morning. But here we are and it is the coolest life I could have ever, ever asked for. Thanking God for all of these pinch me moments this year. Without further ado, the 2025 White House. Christma, Thank you so much. This is so cool. Okay, we're walking into the East Room, which is one of my favorite rooms in the White House, incidentally. Oh my gosh, it's stunning. So as I just mentioned, this is the East Room of the White House. There's all kinds of receptions and events that are held in here quite regularly. I was here earlier this year for a couple of Executive order signings and the Women's History Month event. Usually it is packed to the brim with people, but right now at 7:30 in the morning was just this solemn, quiet, peaceful environment soaking in all of the beauty of Christmas. I have been told that the theme of the Christmas decorations at the White House this year from our first lady is home is where the heart is. And that was so evident here in the East Room, which is specifically decorated in red, white and blue. And a bunch of national symbols to highlight the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States and the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So you can see a bunch of red, white and blue decorations in this absolutely stunning room. It is specifically dedicated towards the flag there. You can see some red, white and blue ornaments on the mantels there in the fireplaces. And really is in collaboration with the America 250 or a 250 initiative that's going to be highlighting just unbelievable patriotism next year. From the East Room, we headed into the Green Room. And most of the rooms at the White House are like themed around a certain theme for Christmas decorations. This year's Green Room theme was about family and fun. So it's hard to tell, but almost all of the decorations in this room are made from toys and games. Here are some domino Christmas trees, but the portraits that you see over the windows of George Washington and President Trump are actually made of puzzles. And the wreaths above them are made from Legos. You can see the bows. Those are made of Legos. How freaking cool is that? The puzzles have over 6,000 pieces each to make those portraits of President Trump and George Washington. I thought the Green Rooms theme this year was so festive and very, very centered around family at the holidays. Being a first time mom myself, I'm having so much fun bringing this type of whimsical playfulness into my own Christmas decorations this year. And it just got me so excited about playing Santa with my daughter. I mean, come on, look at the dominoes, the Legos, the SP spaceships. It's perfect as is this, by the way. But we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves. We'll come back to the beautiful foyer and listening to the President's band in just a second. But first we have the official 2025 White House Christmas tree, which this year is from Sydney, Michigan and measures over 18ft feet tall. It is so spectacular and you may notice kind of a motif of gold stars everywhere. That's because this year's White House Christmas Tree is specifically honoring gold star families. So you'll see those gold stars everywhere, as well as ornaments that have the official bird and official flower from every single state and territory in the United States as an iconic celebration of the fact that America is our home. I probably spent, like, 25 minutes in this room because I was completely, completely captivated and mesmerized by how absolutely stunning every single one of these ornaments were. And again, was just in surreal territory that, yeah, it's 7:30am on a Monday, and I'm just casually walking around the White House with the coolest view of all time, celebrating the kickoff to Christmas. But it wasn't just me. Don't let them fool you. The entire press corps felt the same way. Everyone was giddy and laughing and taking a million pictures. And it's just so clear that beauty and class is. Is back at the White House. But we're not done. We're not done. From there, we headed into the Red Room that is specifically paying tribute to first lady Melania Trump's Be Best initiative, which I actually was a part of the White House internship class when she launched that in 2018. And now that they're back for a new administration, the first lady has additionally added to the Be Best program to include something called Fostering the Future, which is supporting young people in the foster care system. She decided to pay homage to these courageous, amazing young people with butterflies. I've never seen anything like this. There were thousands of butterflies in this room. And as the air was moving through and circulating through the room with the heating system, it looked like the butterflies were all flying on the top of this beautifully unique Christmas tree. No notes. It was perfect. Back to the Christmas magic in just a second. And as you can tell, we're putting some Christmas magic here in the studio for when we are back tomorrow. Get psyched, people. We're all about it. But first, I want to tell you about our friends at the Candle Club this holiday season. You know that feeling when your home smells just right, especially around the holidays. Cozy, clean, like your life has just magically come together, when everything else feels like it is falling into chaos. I know that feeling all too well. As a new mom these days, that feeling is the Candle Club. And right now, their Black Friday sale is still on up to 50% off, free shipping, over $100. And, yes, scents handpicked by your favorite daily wire hosts. Just like our collection of the Isabel Brown show, which is a series of four candles I personally designed. We personally picked the scents of and I'm very picky about a good candle. Let me tell you what, we always have these burning upstairs in our house, downstairs, here in the studio, and they make the perfect gift this holiday season. Every candle from the candle club is non toxic, American made, rooted in tradition. These candles are everything that the big box puts brands have completely forgotten about. Go to thecandleclub.com to shop for God, country and cozy homes. This is the state dining room, where they have all kinds of incredible receptions throughout history. When foreign dignitaries come to visit, when they're hosting another nation, they have dinner right in here. But it is absolutely stunning, especially at Christmas time, and holds my favorite part of the Christmas decorations every year, which is the White House gingerbread house. Coolest thing you've ever seen in your life. Let's go check it out. Sam. Okay, we need to talk about this thing because just the sheer amount of intricate detail on this gingerbread house, this is insane. You can see a specific glimpse into the yellow oval up there on the top floor, which is in the private residence of the White House. But even just like the crown molding, the window details, the tiny, intricate brick laying, the stair railings, everything that you see on this is gingerbread. Whoever volunteered to make this thing, you are my hero. The state dining room at large was absolutely gorgeous. I always love seeing that portrait of Abraham Lincoln here in the state dining room. And this got me so excited to come back here for a Christmas party in a few weeks. From there, we headed back into the White House grand foyer, which is always the main most iconic part of any Christmas decoration scene under any first lady, but especially with first lady Melania Trump. And of course, the Donald has to put his stamp on the grand foyer too. I don't remember seeing this even when I was here a few weeks ago, but the fight, fight, fight painting is up, people. I actually felt like I was in a Hallmark movie right here. I mean, listen, It's like genuinely impossible just to try to put into terms the size and scope of every single one of these decorations. There are 75 signature wreaths from our first lady, Mrs. Trump. 51 different Christmas trees. My mom has 22 in her house, so. 51. Sorry, Mom. They're outdoing you a little bit. More than 700ft of garland. There are more than 2,000 strands of lights, which you can absolutely tell based on all of these absolutely gorgeous Christmas trees. More than 20, 25,000ft of ribbon, more than 120 pounds of gingerbread, 2800 gold stars and over 10,000 butterflies. This is my dream. But enough of me yapping. Just listen to the President's band and be transported into a White House Christmas. There are 10,000 butterflies, 25,000. It. Incidentally, I'm going to be back here to sit in the new media seat for the very first time ever, which I'm so excited about for today's press briefing. You guys will see about all of that on tomorrow's episode of the show. But to ease us back into post Thanksgiving giving content, since it is officially the Christmas season, what a better way to hang out with you guys today than to revel in Christmas from the capital of Christmas. Melania Trump's White House. Ram. Could have hung out in here truly all day. You basically had to pry me out of the White House grand foyer because just look at every leaf, every flower, every bow, every light, every candle. I mean, the sheer level of intricacy in this decoration is unlike anything I have ever seen. This is actually a volunteer effort that happens every year. It's a lottery. So you volunteer to decorate the White House. It is a very prestigious thing if you, you end up getting picked and I've heard it is very high stress, but obviously because look how amazing the results are. Someone really ought to write a Hallmark Christmas movie about that. Somebody get on that, please. But before long, it was time to leave, sadly, at least for a few hours. And of course, Hershey's Kisses, as always, but they're Christmas themed. Look how gorgeous these are. Okay, that was spectacular. As if I expected anything different, honestly. But if you, if you have the capacity to go see the White House Christmas decorations, you have to go. You have to go. It is non optional. I think you can get tickets through your congressman. So contact your specific representative in Congress because that's the easiest way to have the opportunity to come see this. I will be back here for a Christmas party in a couple of weeks, which is super exciting. And I will be back there in the press briefing room literally in just a couple of hours. So that'll be tomorrow's episode. It is my very first time ever in the new media seat, which I'm super excited about. I've gotten to do tons of other creator opportunities like this one, but first time in the hot seat in the press briefing room. So I'll have to think of a really good question. You'll have to tune in tomorrow for that. But also just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you to the White House. This administration really is doing anything and everything to incorporate new media and independent creators. We may not have booths for on pebble beach and be broadcasting live on tv, but honestly, this makes it so much more real. Like, you guys are just doing this with me at 7:22 in the morning. And it's not staged, it's not on a teleprompter, it's not scripted. It's real. And they're really passionate about bringing the people's house back to the people. So thank you to the Trump administration for having me. And I can't wait for the Christmas party.