Patriotism theme for Bush family's last White House Christmas

Christmas for first lady Laura Bush will be different when she and President George W. Bush move to Dallas.
Gone will be the almost nightly holiday receptions at the White House and the National Christmas Tree lighting on the Ellipse.
"It might be me doing the cooking," the first lady said Wednesday.
But for her final Christmas at the White House, Bush decked the halls in all American colors.
The first lady unveiled the Red, White and Blue Christmas theme that will greet more than 60,000 visitors to the White House over the holidays. She said that the patriotic theme is especially fitting in an election year.
She hinted that the soon-to-be former First Family's Christmas gift "might be a new house" in Dallas. The Bushes plan to move there following President-elect Obama's inauguration in January.
The first lady said she will miss her role and her friends on the White House staff, but that she is ready to move on.
"And so I think there's a certain, not just acceptance, but also looking forward to another life, the afterlife, as I've been calling it, when we can live a much more normal life in our own home," she said.
This year's White House Christmas tree is an 18 1/2-foot Fraser fir. The state floor is adorned with red beads, blue bells, silver stars and garlands.
The preview of the decorations marked the beginning of the holiday season at the White House. Bush said that the first family will scale back this holiday season, just as thousands of other families will because of the faltering economy. The Bushes will spend their final presidential Christmas at Camp David.
"We're going to try to be with each other ... to be thankful for our blessings, both the blessings that we have because we're Americans and the blessings that we have because of our family and how close we are," she said.
Behind each decoration in the White House is a story. Since 1967, a manger scene from 18th century Italy has been displayed in the East Room. A cranberry Christmas tree has complemented the Red Room since 1975.
It is the history behind the White House that Bush will take away from her eight years of living there.
"So one thing that we take from the life stories of all the people that lived here before us ... is encouragement, really, about our country, and the way we've been able to face the challenges that we've been faced with before, and the assurance from the way that we faced those that we'll be able to face any challenges that come again," she said.

Christmas at the White House:
-- The decorations were assembled by 92 volunteers.
-- Farmers from North Carolina provided 27 trees to the White House.
-- The White House is decorated with 780 feet of garlands, 282 wreaths and 412 poinsettias.
-- Guests at 25 holiday receptions will be treated to a buffet of lobster salad, smoked salmon with potato pancakes, herb-crusted lamb chops and chilled gulf shrimp.
-- Desserts include brioche bread pudding, coconut cake, chocolate gingerbread cake with chocolate glaze, and pumpkin pie.
-- The kitchen staff is making 22,000 cookies, 250 coconut cakes, 600 pounds of asparagus, 300 pounds of cheese grits and 700 gallons of eggnog.
-- By Dec. 22, 55 musical groups will have performed at the receptions.
-- The gingerbread White House features replicas of the Bush family pets sitting in a rooftop sleigh and cookies resembling the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. The house took more than two months to make, 350 pounds of chocolate and 150 sheets of gingerbread.
-- The 18 1/2 foot White House Christmas tree is adorned with 369 handcrafted ornaments made by artists representing states and congressional districts.
-- The president and first lady sent out 1,250,000 Christmas cards.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)