Feast Your Eyes on the White House Christmas Tour 2022

It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year

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.”

see more: White House Christmas 2022

White House Christmas 2022

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."

see more: Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel Are Hosting 'White House Christmas 2022'

We the People

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.”

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2021, Pt. 1

White House Christmas 2022

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.

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2019

White House Christmas 2022

Featuring 83,000 lights, 12,000 ornaments and 25 wreaths, “this house is a lot of work,” Jonathan noted. “It’s so warm and inviting, and puts you in the holiday spirit,” the First Lady said. “We come together with unity and that’s what I tried to represent here.”

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2018

The North Fountain

The flowerbeds surrounding the North Fountain are replanted three times each year. For this season’s holiday decorations, they frame a festive, bobbing array of gigantic Christmas ornaments.

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2016 - Part II

East Portico Entrance

Following the “We the People” theme, “Each room and design element is intended to represent what brings us together — after all, this is the people’s house," White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo explained to Jonathan and Zooey. "That’s something I take very seriously, because we help create the magic for every American that walks into this house.”

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2016 - Part I

East Portico

The left wall of the East Portico’s interior features large-scale photos of the annual Thanksgiving “pardoning” of White House turkeys and the arrival of the official White House Christmas Tree by horse-drawn wagon. Its interior molding features garland combining white lights, white branches, evergreen boughs and vivid red cardinals.

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2015

East Portico

It’s said the sight of a cardinal is a sign that a loved one we’ve lost is near. These beautiful birds were included in the East Portico’s garlands to remind visitors to cherish good memories of their dear ones who have passed on.

see more: White House Christmas Tour 2014

East Wing

Visitors see the first trio of the White House’s 77 trees as they move through the East Wing. "It's very intentional," said Jonathan. Decorated in red, white and blue, the Gold Star trees “honor the heroic men and women of our Nation’s military who have laid down their lives for our country, those who are Missing in Action and the families who carry on their legacies.”

see more: Take an Exclusive Tour of the White House at Christmas

East Wing

Stars on each of the three trees pay tribute to individual service members — as do flags on both the White House roof and a miniature White House constructed of gingerbread. In each case, the American flag flies just above the black-and-white POW/MIA flag that honors those who haven’t returned.

East Colonnade

The stroll from the East Colonnade to the East Wing to the White House is meant to evoke the peace and tranquility of the year’s first snowfall. Volunteers wrapped hand-painted paper around humble cardboard tubes with steel cores to create a meditative birch forest, then used sewing needles to thread fishing line through mirrors and pom poms to form an ethereal canopy of snow. The East Colonnade also features a collection of photos of other First Families’ White House celebrations from past Christmases.

East Colonnade

The birch forest’s intricate, handmade owls, fox and deer lead to two four-legged First Family members at the end of the East Colonnade. Commander and Willow Biden, the President and First Lady’s German shepherd and tabby — who, spoiler alert, appear as unofficial hosts throughout this year’s decorations — welcome visitors to some of the White House’s most iconic spaces.

Ground Floor Corridor

The dramatic architecture in this space is a copy of the original groin vaulting that survived when the White House was burned in the War of 1812. Initially a work and storage space with domestic staff quarters on either side, it now leads to the Library, the Vermeil Room, the China Room, the Diplomatic Reception Room and the Map Room.

The Library

Celebrating the words and stories of American history, the Library’s centerpiece is a “tree” created with books the White House carpenters trimmed down to graduated widths. “This will be the hack people do at home,” Jonathan predicted. “They’re going to make themselves an old book tree!”

The Library

The Library is home to 2,700 volumes that focus mainly on American history and literature. This year, in honor of the“We the People” theme, it also features (on display for the first time ever) an 1845 copy of the Declaration of Independence that was donated in the 1980s. Trees and magnolia topiaries on either side of the central display boast trompe-l’oeil wooden book skirts that are also the carpenters’ handiwork.

Behind the Scenes: The Library

Zooey followed Deputy Calligrapher Debra Brown’s lead to help hand-paint unique bases for the Library’s trees. She felt right at home donning a volunteer's apron and going to work with the art supplies: “I like doing coloring books and stuff with my kids,” she said.

The Diplomatic Reception Room

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a chimney opened in the Diplomatic Reception Room so that he could conduct his historic “fireside chats” with the American people. In 2022, its festive decor features trees and garlands with songbirds, gilded leaves, opulent ribbon and greenery.

The Vermeil Room

Befitting its name, the Vermeil Room holds the largest collection of gold-plated silver in the world. This year, it celebrates gratitude and kindness as exemplified by Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit that works with the White House’s Joining Forces initiative and sends care packages to families of first responders and the military. Since 2003, it’s sent more than 3.5 million of those packages to service members worldwide.

The Vermeil Room

The golden stripes on the Vermeil Room’s gift boxes match the dresses in First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s and Lady Bird Johnson’s portraits on the walls. The boxes themselves hold handmade scarves like the ones Operation Gratitude sends to service members, as well as Willow and Commander, included here as a nod to how thankful we are for our companion animals.

The Vermeil Room

The Joining Forces initiative doesn’t just spread holiday cheer. Its year-round focus areas include employment and entrepreneurship; military child education; and health and well-being.

The China Room

Tableware used by past First Families is displayed here in the China Room. (In the days before the unveiling of annual holiday decorations, it’s unofficially the Gingerbread Room, where the White House’s popular gingerbread house is assembled — more on that in a bit.) Garlands on each of the trees display family recipes from Americans all over the country, including the First Lady’s grandmother’s pizzelle recipe.

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Jonathan joined chief carpenter Robert Thompson and carpenter Lawrence Miller in the White House’s carpentry shop, a work space that had never before allowed camera crews to visit. He was excited, to put it mildly: “This is like my candy shop!” For 2022, the team constructed the White House’s own menorah for the first time. In previous years, First Families displayed menorahs from local synagogues in celebration of Hanukkah.

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Jonathan was tasked with building oversized wooden books that would join the menorah display in the State Dining Room. “This is a pretty special thing for me,” he said. “How many craftsmen actually get to work in the most famous house in America?”

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Covered with flexible plywood, the frame Jonathan built was eventually painted to resemble an open storybook. It’s part of the State Dining Room’s “We the Children” display, crafted in honor of America’s educators. Working beside the White House carpenters was deeply meaningful for Jonathan, who became an American citizen a few years ago. “This is literally my dream,” he said.

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Carpenters still build functional furniture here, including this bill-signing table made with wood original to the White House. “Where can I carve 'Jonathan was here?'" (It’s actually signed ‘Robert Thompson, 2015.’)

The Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer features trees with names of all the states and territories and the years they entered the Union. It also boasts a sky-high garland above the entry to the East Room, which Jonathan helped hang. “There are two things I’m really good at — changing light bulbs and putting things into high places,” he said.

The Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer also debuts the elegant menorah created by Jonathan and the White House carpenters. Constructed with wood original to the White House that was removed during the Truman-era renovations, it’s the first menorah to be part of the White House collection and an heirloom that will celebrate faith for generations to come. “I love that [they're] introducing this as a new tradition,” Jonathan said. “The holidays are about family, faith, gathering and community, and this is going to be amazing."

The Grand Foyer

Jill Biden’s anecdote-filled personal tour with Jonathan and Zooey is the latest of more than a decade of HGTV White House Christmas tours. Invitations from the First Family to celebrate the holidays began in 1800, when President John and First Lady Abigail Adams hosted the very first White House Christmas party.

The Grand Foyer

Ornaments on trees in the Grand Foyer (and, indeed, throughout the White House) are reflective. “A lot of the decorations are mirrors so that, I hope, people see themselves,” the First Lady said.

The Grand Foyer

Welcoming the public to the White House hasn’t always been the elegant affair it is today. In 1835, President Andrew Jackson was gifted a 1,400-pound cheese — and two full years later, he invited Americans to come eat it. The crowds arrived in droves and ground bits of cheese into the carpet, which perfumed the White House for weeks. (Though that's probably not why the floor is now stone, it certainly doesn't hurt.)

The East Room

At one end of the Cross Hall, the East Room is the largest reception room at the White House; this year, it’s dedicated to nature and recreation. The mantel is adorned with "snowballs" volunteers spackled and flocked by hand. The flocking on the trees, in turn, is a nod to a Biden tradition. On Christmas Eve at their house, Santa would put snow on the tree’s needles overnight.

The East Room

Uplit displays in the East Room pay tribute to America’s national parks with intricate, hand-cut winter landscapes. Naturally, the Yellowstone display includes a rendition of Old Faithful.

The Green Room

The lion’s share of the White House’s 1,600 bells are in the Green Room, which has been decorated to celebrate music and harmony. The tree at the center of the space is “all about jingle bells,” as a volunteer put it, and has a "skirt" created with mounds of initially shiny bells that have been antiqued by hand to create a matte, variegated patina.

The Green Room

Layered displays of more bells and ribbons create seasonal window treatments that reflect the Green Room’s musical theme. These decorations include some clever DIYs: Some of those “bells” are upcycled dollar-store clay pots that have been turned upside down, spray-painted gold and distressed. Lightweight, inexpensive and shapely, they’re an excellent way to introduce a variety of silhouettes to the room.

The Green Room

The First Lady appreciated just how hard the White House volunteers and staffers worked to make sure every last bell and fairy light was picture-perfect and in place. “They put their hearts and souls into it,” she explained, “and that’s what makes it as beautiful as it is.”

The Green Room

The White House’s 2022 Christmas decor is intended in part to inspire DIY projects in homes across the country. Its We the People theme extends to beautiful and accessible arrays like this bell-and-pom-pom topiary — because 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. should reflect how all of us celebrate the holidays.

The Red Room

The Red Room’s 2022 theme of faith and light carries through stained glass panels on its windows and a one-of-a-kind tree created with flameless candles and red and magenta orchids. Cranberries are a holiday symbol of peace, and cranberry topiary has been a tradition in the Red Room since 1875.

see more: White House Christmas Decorating Tips

The Red Room

Orchids are some of the First Lady’s favorite flowers, and these vivid magenta and red varieties were chosen to complement the Red Room’s decor. As chief floral designer Hedieh Ghaffarian explained, the First Lady loves flowers so much that the White House grounds feature a cutting garden.

The State Dining Room

This year, the State Dining Room pays tribute to “We the Children” and the importance of education. The First Lady honored Teachers of the Year from each state and territory by asking their students to send in self-portraits. Volunteers then placed those portraits in clear globe ornaments decorated with hand-cut confetti and used them to adorn trees on either side of the fireplace.

The State Dining Room

Spoiler alert: Jonathan and Zooey might also have contributed to the First Lady’s festivities by leading volunteers in a grand “Deck the Halls” sing along. Other Americans can get in on that act. The White House also welcomes applications each year for performers and musical groups including school bands, choirs and holiday-themed entertainers to spread seasonal cheer during a Holiday Open House Tour.

The State Dining Room

Another lovingly hand-painted portrait of Commander greets visitors at the State Dining Room's display, which features Zooey's handiwork with the calligraphy team as well as classic children's books like Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day.

Behind the Scenes: The State Dining Room

Zooey joined Lee Ann Clark, the White House’s chief calligrapher, in hand-painting the books Jonathan constructed with the carpenters. The White House Calligraphy Office creates invitations and place cards for dinners and receptions, and their work is a labor of love. “We want everyone to feel like they are an honored guest when they come here,” Clark explained.

The State Dining Room

The First Family’s stockings hang on the mantel beneath a portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the State Dining Room. The clove-studded oranges are a nod to the First Lady’s family tradition: She always received an orange in the toe of her stocking in honor of her grandmother. “Growing up during the Depression they didn’t have a lot of fruit, so that was a very special gift to get,” she explained.

The State Dining Room

The Gingerbread House display features 100 pounds of translucent, pastillage-and-poured-sugar windows that glow with warmth when lit from behind. Royal icing made from confectioners’ sugar and egg whites creates edible glue that affixes wreaths to those windows.

The State Dining Room

An edible rendition of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall (constructed of sugar-cookie bricks) joined the gingerbread house on display in The State Dining Room this year. Zooey’s father and the First Lady’s family hail from the City of Brotherly Love, and they were especially excited to see it represented this year.

The Blue Room

The centerpiece of the White House’s seasonal decorations — the Official White House Christmas Tree — is an 18.5-foot Concolor Fir from the Shealer family’s Evergreen Acres Christmas Tree Farm in Auburn, Pennsylvania. It features painstakingly hand-painted versions of each of the 50 states and five territories' official birds as a reflection of unity and hope (the Blue Room's official theme).

Behind the Scenes: The Blue Room

At 6-foot, 5-inches (or, just over a third of the Official White House Christmas Tree’s total height), Jonathan was happy to pitch in on aerially applied additions to its decorations — and had to bend down when he reached the highest level of scaffolding. “The trick is, unlike a 6- or 7-foot-tall tree, a heck of a lot more ornaments need to go onto this one,” he noted.

Behind the Scenes: The Blue Room

The base of the tree extends its official-birds-of-the-states-and-territories motif with a custom-made nest that was created in four pieces and wired together to serve as an unforgettable centerpiece for the display. Jonathan has a special relationship with Arizona’s entry: “I think I was attacked by a cactus wren one time.”

The Blue Room

Jonathan offered a bit of professional advice as he joined volunteers in decorating the Blue Room. When adding ornamentation to greenery, “Imperfection is perfection,” he explained. “You want to make sure there’s no unintentional pattern.”

White House Christmas 2022

For an even more in-depth look at this year’s holiday decor, watch Jonathan and Zooey in White House Christmas (now streaming) on discovery+.

White House Christmas 2022

Feast Your Eyes on the White House Christmas Tour 2022

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Shop This Look

It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year

White House Christmas 2022

We the People

White House Christmas 2022

White House Christmas 2022

The North Fountain

East Portico Entrance

East Portico

East Portico

East Wing

East Wing

East Colonnade

East Colonnade

Ground Floor Corridor

The Library

The Library

Behind the Scenes: The Library

The Diplomatic Reception Room

The Vermeil Room

The Vermeil Room

The Vermeil Room

The China Room

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

Behind the Scenes: The Carpentry Shop

The Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer

The East Room

The East Room

The Green Room

The Green Room

The Green Room

The Green Room

The Red Room

The Red Room

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room

Behind the Scenes: The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room

The Blue Room

Behind the Scenes: The Blue Room

Behind the Scenes: The Blue Room

The Blue Room

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