HGTV host Jonathan Scott (Property Brothers: Forever Home) and actress Zooey Deschanel headed to Washington, D.C., to pitch in on (and get an unprecedented look at) the seriously hard work staffers and volunteers undertake to bring the holidays to the White House. “I feel like there’s even more at stake this year,” Jonathan said, “because this is the first year since the pandemic they’re allowing the public to come back through for tours, so it's going to be bustling with holiday spirit.”

Jonathan and Zooey didn't simply tour the White House, Jonathan received an assignment that dispatched him to a previously unfilmed part of the complex, and Zooey put the finishing touches on his creation with the White House calligraphy team. Does that qualify as voluntourism? "Everyone is represented, no matter where they live geographically, myself included," Jonathan told HGTV. "I recently became an American citizen only a few years ago, so it really means a lot to be able to celebrate the rich history that America has to offer. This is an exciting day."

An expected 50,000 visitors will pass through the White House to explore its Christmas decorations this year. First Lady Jill Biden chose the 2022 “We the People” theme because “[t]hese words are the foundation of our extraordinary country and the soul of our Nation,” the official Holidays at the White House guide explains. “At the holidays, Americans come together each year in fellowship and faith, reminding us that we are stronger in community than we are apart.”

Scoring an invitation to pitch in with decorating the White House for the holidays is a bit more straightforward when you’re hosting an HGTV special about it, but this is far from the only way to get involved. This year, the White House opened online applications for volunteer decorators in mid-October and welcomed helpers from all U.S. states and territories, with encouragement for military family members, educators, frontline workers and students to get in touch.