White House Holiday Photo Of The Day

The tiniest Bo with the Clinton State China...
First Dog Bo, hailed by First Lady Michelle Obama as "the most famous member of the Obama family," stars in this year's holiday decor. Figurines of the shaggy Portuguese Water Dog, large and tiny, are in almost every room of the White House. In these photos, a teeny Bo sits beside wine glasses on a dinner table in the China Room, set for the holidays. "It's a where's Bo?" game, said Mrs. Obama, a subtheme of "Shine, Give, Share," which honors military families.

The China Room, on the ground floor of the White House, has a table set for eight with the Clinton State Dinner service atop white lace place mats. Gold candlesticks and low gold candle holders decorate the table. The floral arrangements, in gold "baskets," are red and mauve roses with seasonal greens. (Above: A long view of the room)

One of the 30 natural Christmas trees that fill the White House is in a corner of the room. First Lady Edith Wilson created the China Room in 1917 to display the White House china collection. The red theme in the room matches the red dress worn by First Lady Grace Coolidge in the full-length portrait that hangs on the wall. Mrs. Coolidge is with her dog, Rob Roy, who was not quite as famous as Bo.

Figures of Bo have also been created from trashbags, felt, black licorice and marshmallows, buttons, and pom poms for the holiday decor. In the White House video below, Bo meets his many matches as floral designer Heather Cooper explains how the decorations were made.


*Photos by Eddie Gehman Kohan/Obama Foodorama