December 13, 2011

Attending the White House holiday party outdid seeing the Beatles live at the Garden in 1964...(sorry Dad). The building was brimming with yards of holly, fragrant white lilies spilling from vases, shining silver platters of potato latkes (for Chanukah) and soaring Christmas trees decorated with sparkling golden ribbon and children's artwork. As David, Bob, Esta and I walked up the driveway and entered through the North Portico, we walked through a glassed walkway that gave us glimpses of Jacqueline Kennedy's Garden. After checking our coats, we made our way up the stairway to the Grand Foyer where we were greeted by white gloved cadets offering us flutes of champagne as the Marine Band played a medley from the Nutcracker Suite. There were around 500 guests but we were allowed to wander freely among the rooms on the state floor, so it honestly did not feel busy. We could admire Lady Bird Johnson's portrait, sample maple candy in the East Room, admire the view of the Washington Monument through the Green Room windows and peer at a painting of Harry Truman gracing a stairway winding up to the family quarters on the second floor. The First Lady wore a bright green gown with shoes dyed to match. The President greeted me with a kiss and a hug. "We're from Boston..." I said. He answered "I know you are...you make me almost want to be a Celtics fan." Later my husband and I savored our visit with a moment in the Presidential Library, sitting on a plush red velvet sofa while perusing Dwight Eisenhower's collection of books.