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Christmas in the White House: Presidential Trees Throughout the Years

Filed under: Decor

Beautifully decorated Christmas Trees are a longstanding tradition in the White House. The first known decorated, indoor Christmas Tree was displayed in the Yellow Oval Room during the Benjamin Harrison administration.

Jacqueline Kennedy launched the tradition of thematic Christmases in the White House in which the First Family chooses a motif in which to highlight. In 1961, First Lady Kennedy chose to decorate the White House Christmas Tree with a "Nutcracker" theme derived from the Tchaikovsky ballet. The tree was decorated with toys, birds and angels (see gallery).

Themes for White House Christmas Trees throughout the years have ranged from the Regan's theme of Mother Goose theme in 1986 to "Home for the Holidays", which was the Bush theme in 2001 (see above).

This year, the Obama's Official White House Christmas Tree is a beautiful Douglas Fir from Shepardston, West Virginia (see gallery). According to the National Christmas Tree Association, the Blue Room Christmas Tree was officially presented to First Lady Michelle Obama by Christmas Tree growers Eric and Gloria Sundback. The Sundbacks earned this honor by winning the National Christmas Tree Association's (NCTA) national Christmas Tree contest held in August 2009 in Chattanooga, Tenn., and becoming Grand Champions.

While there are typically several Christmas Trees on display throughout the White House during the holiday season, the one located in the Blue Room is traditionally the "official" tree. Members of the National Christmas Tree Association have presented the official White House Christmas Tree for display in the Blue Room since 1966. For decorating ideas, see "Tips for Decorating your Christmas Tree".

Gallery: White House Christmas Trees Through the Years

Tags: christmas, christmas tree, president, president bush, PresidentObama, white house

$10 Million for the Shoes Thrown at Bush

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Shoes

In case you haven't already seen it, here is the clip of a journalist in Iraq pelting George Bush with his shoes at a press conference (courtesy of YouTube user LenonHonorFilms).

Well, now there's more news. A Saudi man has offered $10 million for the shoes of Iraqi journalist/shoe thrower Muntadar Al Zaidi. The offer comes from sixty-year-old Hassan Mohammad Makhafa of Aseer (south west of Saudi Arabia). He's prepared to sell all his properties - which would be going to his sons - to purchase the shoes, which he describes as a "medal of freedom."

He apparently has plans to enshrine the shoes.

[via GulfNews.com]

Tags: bush, iraq, Muntadar Al Zaidi, MuntadarAlZaidi, news, president bush, shoes

President Bush Signs Myanmar Gemstone Ban

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The U.S. ban against the importation of rubies and jade from Mynanmar is now official. President Bush signed legislation Tuesday hoping to send a strong message to Myanmar's brutal ruling regime. While many jewelry companies including Tiffany & Co., Cartier and Bulgari already have had bans in place for a while, this bill makes it official. The U.S. government was particularly motivated to move after military junta's reaction to the cyclone that hit the country in May. The regime was slow to accept help and and the country is still in recovery from that devastating event. First lady Laura Bush has spoken out on the issue of a ban against rubies from Myanmar before and she accompanied her husband in the Oval Office as he signed the bills, which extend and harden sanctions Congress first passed in 2003.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, produces some of the world's most beautiful rubies. The rubies from the Mogok region have a deep translucent color often described as pigeon's blood. As the AP article notes, many stones are currently being laundered through nearby countries such as Thailand to get around sanctions. Myanmar also does a brisk business in jade and jadeite which is continuing to be bought merchants coming from China and Hong Kong who purchase the stones in state-run auctions held periodically.

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Tags: burma, jade, myanmar, president bush, PresidentBush, rubies

The Lodge at Rancho Mirage: Where President Bush Spent The Weekend

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Celebrity Shopping

President George W. Bush spent the weekend at The Lodge in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs, California. Bush stayed in the presidential suite of course, and was the first president to stay at the hotel since former President Bill Clinton stayed there a decade ago. The hotel, which is located above the Coachella Valley is accessible from only one road. The suite includes a living room with a baby grand piano, formal dining room, master bedroom, and a master bathroom with Jacuzzi bathtub. According to The Desert Sun, Bush held a dinner there Sunday night with a handful of Southern California mayors, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Fun fact, this is the same suite where Trista and Ryan Sutter (of The Bachelorette reality television show) stayed after their televised wedding at The Lodge two years ago.

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Tags: hotel, palm springs, president bush, PresidentBush, presidential suite