As usual, the decorations are impressive: There are 37 Christmas trees alone, and a 400-pound gingerbread White House. The official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room -- a balsam fir from Schoeder's Forevergreens near Neshkoro, Wis. -- stands more than 18 feet tall.
The visitors included Blue Star and Gold Star military families (families with members in the armed forces and families with members who have died in service).
Obama invited the children to the State Dining Room where White House chefs Cris Comerford and Bill Yosses and White House florist Laura Dowling demonstrated holiday crafts and treats.
She said the decorations this year pay tribute to military families. Visitors will be able to send handwritten notes to troops stationed around the world, she said.
"They'll also see the Gold Star tree, which honors our nation's Gold Star families whose loved ones have made the greatest of sacrifices for our country," she said, according to the White House transcript. "The tree is decorated with beautiful, special ornaments, each of which has a space for Gold Star families who visit here to write their loved one's name and to hang it on the tree."
Michelle Obama also commented on the gap between civilians and the families of the less-than-1 percent of Americans who serve in the military.
“I also know that not every American hears these stories. Not every American knows what a Blue Star family is, or a Gold Star family is. We don’t all understand what it’s like to be in a military family.
“And that’s one of the reasons why Jill and I started our Joining Forces initiative, because we wanted to rally all Americans to honor, recognize and support our military families. We wanted to make sure that never again would someone have to ask the question, what is a Gold Star family, and what does that sacrifice mean? We all should know.”
The Joining Forces initiative created by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden was designed to energize action from every sector of our society — individuals, businesses, nonprofits, philanthropy and faith-based institutions — to give service members, veterans and their families support. The initiative has mainly focused on public awareness, employment, education and wellness.
In addition to making public appearances and producing public service announcements, the initiative has spurred the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and military child advocacy group Military Child Education Coalition to commit to collaborating and implementing military child-related curriculums in 100 universities around the country in 2012. Joining Forces has also led Medscape, a site for health care professionals, to launch a resource center and curriculum on military family health care last summer.
Perhaps most important, Joining Forces has focused on unemployment.
According to the latest jobs report, since last month, veteran unemployment dropped 0.4 percent for veterans of all generations, and a full 1 percent for those who have separated from the military since 9/11. Yet, according to a recent Stars and Stripes article, the unemployment rate among military spouses currently sits at 26 percent.
More than 1,500 private sector companies have risen to the challenge and already hired more than 20,000 veterans and spouses in the past four months, according to a Joining Forces spokesperson. The White House is also working with the American Logistics Association, the International Franchise Association, the Defense Department’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership, and has put up the “Veterans Job Bank” website.
Michelle Obama acknowledged that the holidays ahead would be tough for some families.
“You truly represent what is best about America,” the first lady told the families at the White House on Wednesday.
“I want to thank all of the Gold Star families for your enduring strength and commitment to this country. And I want to thank all of the troops, all of our veterans, all of our military families, whose service and sacrifice inspires us all,” she said.
“So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We can’t say it enough. Thank you. I know for some of you, this holiday season will be tough. But hopefully, it’s times like this that make you know that you live in a grateful nation, and that we are just so inspired by your sacrifice. And hopefully, this is a memory that will stay with you every holiday season.”
Visitors to the White House can also thank service members overseas, by writing handwritten notes that will be sent to troops during the holidays.
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