I toured the White House to see Melania Trump’s Christmas decorations. The East Wing is gone, but the display was still dazzling.

• Melania Trump unveiled the White House Christmas decorations on Monday.

• The theme of the decorations was “Home Is Where The Heart Is.”

• The decoration layout was different from previous years as the East Wing was demolished in October.

It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

On Monday, first lady Melania Trump unveiled the 2025 White House Christmas decorations — her first holiday season of President Donald Trump’s second nonconsecutive term and the first White House Christmas decorations since the East Wing was torn down in October.

The East Entrance and East Colonnade, which featured prominently in Melania Trump’s past White House Christmas decorations with dramatically lit branch displays and deep red trees, are no longer part of the route. These were demolished along with the rest of the East Wing.

The White House Menorah, which the Biden administration added to the White House Christmas decorations in 2022, was also absent from the display.

Melania Trump centered the White House Christmas decorations around the theme “Home Is Where the Heart Is”, which marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, her Be Best initiative, and military families.

I visited the White House for an early look at this year’s holiday display. Take a look.

I entered the White House via the North Portico steps.

In previous years, White House tours began at the East Entrance.

On my way, I saw Melania Trump’s Christmas wreaths with red keys in the White House windows.

The wreaths also appear on this year’s official White House Christmas card.

The East Room appeared as a tribute to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The decoration of the East Room, which included patriotic nods, was a collaboration with America250, the national organization in charge of planning events for America’s semiquincentennial next year.

The Christmas trees in the East Room were bright with red, white and blue decorations.

Red, white and blue striped ribbons were accompanied by oak leaves, a traditional symbol of health.

Golden eagles were also exhibited in the East Room.

The Christmas trees were covered in golden eagle ornaments, which also appeared on the East Room mirrors.

The Green Room displayed portraits of President Donald Trump and President George Washington made from puzzle pieces.

Each photo contained 6,000 pieces.

Dedicated to the theme of games, the Green Room contained childhood toys in every corner.

Small Christmas trees made of dominoes were built on a side table.

The Official White House Christmas tree served as the centerpiece of the Blue Oval Room.

This year’s Official White House Christmas tree is an 18-foot concolor fir from Sidney, Michigan.

The tree was decorated with ornaments showing the birds and the official flower of each state and territory of the United States, as well as gold stars that honor the Gold Star families of fallen American soldiers.

The ornaments were created using AI and 3D printed.

The Red Room was full of butterflies, a youthful nod to the first lady’s Fostering the Future program which supports children in foster care.

The decoration of the Red Room included a total of 10,000 butterflies.

Her Christmas tree was decorated with Be Best ornaments and Fostering the Future ribbons.

Fostering the Future is part of Melania Trump’s Be Best initiative focused on children’s well-being.

The State Dining Room featured a gingerbread White House complete with a miniature south portico.

The intricate model of the White House is made of 120 pounds of gingerbread, 100 pounds of pastilage dough, more than 10 pounds of chocolate, and 5 pounds of royal icing.

In the Grand Foyer, the US Marine Band played holiday classics such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

I also recognized “Want to Build a Snowman?” from Disney’s “Frozen.”

A portion of the White House Creche was displayed in the Grand Foyer while the rest is undergoing restoration work.

The White House Creche, a Nativity scene dating back to the 18th century, was first displayed at the White House in 1961 and was featured on President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 Christmas card.

The Hall of the Cross was lit up with ceiling projections and additional Christmas trees.

Stacks of boxes in red gift wrap were mounted at the base of the trees, and scented candles filled the air with a warm and spicy aroma.

A close-up look at the painting showing Donald Trump’s raised fist after surviving an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Painted by artist Marc Lipp, the piece hangs where the official White House portrait of President Barack Obama was displayed during the Biden administration.

In all, the White House Christmas decorations include 51 Christmas trees, more than 2,000 strands of lights, and 25,000 feet of ribbon.

The White House reopens for public tours on December 2 — the first tours offered since the demolition of the East Wing. To schedule a tour, members of Congress submit tour requests on behalf of their constituents.

The display was dazzling, but I wish I could have seen the East Wing in its former glory.

Before its demolition, the East Wing was once a focal point of the White House Christmas decorations and the first stop on tours. The long hallway of the Eastern Colonnade in particular lent itself to immersive, and sometimes divisive, displays.

There’s less room to decorate in the White House until Donald Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom is finished, but I still loved seeing the entire Executive Mansion decked out for the holidays.

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