President Bush and the first lady participated in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree and the opening holiday ceremonies on the Ellipse for the 2008 Pageant of Peace.

Entertainment included: country music singer Rissi Palmer; musician Jon Secada; Nashville singer/songwriter Phil Vassar; Washington-based dance troupe Step Afrika!; 4-year-old singer Kaitlyn Maher; and the U.S. Army Chorus’s SFC Steve Cramer appearing as Santa Claus. The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” performed under Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr. and the Enterprise High School Encores from Enterprise, Alabama, sang.
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Scenes of White House preparations for the holiday season included the arrival of the Christmas tree on Monday, November 26, 2007, by horse-drawn carriage to the White House. Mrs. Bush spoke to reporters about the theme for the holiday season of Holiday in the National Parks in honor of the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. Joe Freeman and Linda Jones from ...Mistletoe Meadows Christmas Tree Farm in Laurel Springs, N.C, donated the 19-year-old Fraser fir tree. Scenes were also shown of Mrs. Bush’s tour on November 29 previewing the 2007 holiday decorations. Included were a tour of the East Room, State Dining Room, the Blue Room, and the Cross Hall. Mrs. Bush described the decorations and made brief remarks about parks, including the White House and the newest memorial, the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Ms. Comerford spoke to reporters about the holiday menu. In the Cross Hall Mrs. Bush and Ms. Clarke talked about the volunteers who helped decorate the White House. Mrs. Bush also responded to questions and comments from the reporters.
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President Bush and the first lady participated in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree and the opening ceremonies on the Ellipse for the 84th annual Christmas Pageant of Peace.

The program included holiday music with performances by Sara Evans, 14-year-old Holly Stell, 12-year-old Julian Ivey, Master Sergeant Ryan Carson, actor Brad Oscar returning for a second year as Santa Claus, the United States Air Force Band under the direction of Colonel Dennis M. Layendecker, and the St. Albans and National Cathedral Schools Choir.
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President and Mrs. Bush attended the Children’s Holiday Reception and Performance on the State Floor of the White House. The Ford’s Theatre Society performed portions of A Christmas Carol.

Mrs. Bush hosted a media preview of the 2007 holiday decorations in the East Room, State Dining Room, Cross Hall, and Blue Room. The decorations in the East Room represented the national parks. Mrs. Bush explained that the theme for the year was Holiday in the National Parks in honor of the centenniel of the National Park Service in 2016. The artists displayed the ...paintings used for invitations and brochures. In the State Dining Room the pastry chef displayed the gingerbread White House with miniature wildlife. Ms. Comerford spoke about the buffett of regional dishes. The major tree in the Blue Room had ornaments that local artists from each of 391 national parks were asked to decorate. The Cross Hall also had large paintings of parks. Ms. Clarke spoke about the volunteers that did the decorating. Mrs. Bush responded to questions from the press. A string trio played in conclusion. Show SummaryShow Full Text

First lady Laura Bush received the official holiday White House Christmas tree which was delivered by horse-drawn carriage. She said that it would be decorated with ornaments made by over 300 artists around the country. The 19-year-old Fraser fir was presented by Joe Freeman and Linda Jones of Mistletoe Meadows Christmas Tree Farm in Laurel Springs, N.C., who won the ...National Christmas Tree Association contest. A small band played holiday tunes. Show SummaryShow Full Text

President Bush and the first lady participated in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree and the opening holiday ceremonies on the Ellipse for the 2006 Pageant of Peace. The tree is a 41' 9" Colorado blue spruce.

The program included performances by Eartha Kitt; Cathy Rigby; B.J. Thomas; actor Brad Oscar appearing as Santa Claus; John Conlee; The United States Army Band under the direction of Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr.; and The Singing Angels Choir from Cleveland, Ohio, under the direction of Charles Eversole.
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President and Mrs. Bush held a Christmas holiday reception for children in the White House. As part of the event actors from the Kennedy Center production of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” entertained the audience.

Mrs. Bush hosted a media preview of the 2006 holiday decorations in the State Dining Room and Blue Room and a tasting event in the East Room tour. The program also showed the arrival of the White House Christmas tree on December 6, 2006 prior to its decoration for holiday festivities.

First lady Laura Bush received the official White House Christmas holiday tree which was delivered by horse-drawn carriage. The 18 and a half-foot Douglas fir came from Crystal Springs Tree Farm in Lehighton, Pennsylvania.