White House Decorations Honor Pandemic Workers

The decorations for President Joe Biden's first Christmas in the White House honor¹ workers who stayed on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House gave the public the first look at the decorations Monday. The subject chosen for 2021's Christmas White House is "Gifts from the Heart."

The traditional gingerbread White House recognizes nurses, doctors, teachers, food store workers and others. This year, a 158-kilogram gingerbread village was created to include the workplaces of different groups during the pandemic. This included a school, police, fire and gas stations, as well as a post office, food store and warehouse².

Workers who stayed on the job are also represented in bright, colorful doves³ and shooting stars placed in the East Colonnade⁴ area. The White House holiday guidebook says the decorations are meant to honor "the peace and light brought to us by all the front-line workers and first responders during the pandemic."

The decorations are the result of months of planning and work by First Lady Jill Biden and White House employees. She invited a group of second graders from Maryland to help show off the decorations on Monday.

The White House said the decorations are meant to represent people the Bidens met while traveling across the country this year.

A statement by the president and first lady identified important gifts they believe helped unite Americans across the country during the pandemic. Among these were faith, family, the arts, nature, friendship, community, unity⁵ and peace.

"These are the gifts that tie together the heartstrings of our lives. These are the gifts from the heart," the statement said. "We wish you a happy, healthy, and joyous⁶ holiday season. As we look to a new year full of possibility, may gifts from the heart light our path forward."

The volunteers who decorated the White House came only from the surrounding area because of COVID-19 concerns. About 100 people helped decorate 41 Christmas trees and hung more than 10,000 ornaments⁸.

One major decoration is the official White House Christmas Tree. This year, it is a 5.5-meter tall Fraser fir covered with white doves. The tree, which came from the southern state of North Carolina, contains the names of all U.S. states and territories on white ribbons. It stands in the White House's Blue Room.

The White House has suspended⁹ public tours of the building because of ongoing¹⁰ COVID-19 restrictions¹¹. It is unclear how holiday celebrations will be held at the presidential home. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said there will be parties, but added that they would be "different" than in past years.

Words in This Story

decoration – n. things put on or around something to make it look more inviting¹²

first responder – n. a person who is one of the first people to arrive to deal with an emergency, especially a paramedic, police officer or firefighter

faith – n. the belief that something is good, right and able to be trusted

heartstrings – n. the deepest emotions or affections¹³

joyous – adj. full of joy; very happy

ornament⁷ – n. an object that is beautiful rather than useful

ribbon – n. a long, narrow piece of material used to tie things together or for use as a decoration

1 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

2 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

3 doves   

n.菜包肉末饭（用卷心菜叶包肉末米饭，炖熟食用）；鸽( dove的名词复数 )；和平的象征

参考例句：

• The doves winged skyward. 鸽子向空中飞去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doves were cooing in the trees. 鸽子在林中咕咕啼鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 colonnade   

n.柱廊

参考例句：

• This colonnade will take you out of the palace and the game.这条柱廊将带你离开宫殿和游戏。
• The terrace was embraced by the two arms of the colonnade.平台由两排柱廊环抱。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

7 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

8 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 suspended   

a.被暂时搁置的

参考例句：

• A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. 一盏吊灯悬在天花板上。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area. 英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

13 affections   

n.喜爱( affection的名词复数 )；感情喜爱爱慕之情；病

参考例句：

• He was undeserving of her affections. 他不配得到她的爱。
• The officer transferred his affections to the other girl. 那军官爱上了另一个姑娘。 来自《简明英汉词典》