Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt know a thing or two about meeting make-or-break deadlines with positivity and composure. As the winningest duo in HGTV competition history (hello, Rock the Block and Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge) with a slew of fast-moving projects attached to their names (100 Day Dream Home and 100 Day Hotel Challenge), they’re quite familiar with countdowns. So, of course they were eager to join the time-crunched team turning the White House into an oasis of seasonal calm. “Our hope is for the Nation to be blessed with the peace and light of the holiday season,” the President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden explained in the welcome letter that opened the 2024 White House Holiday Guide. “I do feel the peace walking in here,” Mika said, “because you have 300 volunteers for one mission, one goal — and everybody’s smiling from ear to ear.”

Inviting America over for the holidays is quite the undertaking: An average of more than 3,000 guests will tour the White House each day this season, which adds up to an expected 100,000 visitors. Preparations begin early, then happen all at once. “We’re used to the fast timeline of 100 days,” Brian remarked to Elizabeth Alexander, the First Lady’s communications director, “but you guys do this in 100 hours!” “Basically!” Elizabeth agreed. “The planning and the theme creation starts just after the previous year’s holiday season, but the final push is the weekend after Thanksgiving, and that’s why you’re here. What really makes it so extraordinary are the volunteers. They come from all around the country, and they’re the ones tying the bows and hanging the bells, and they’re the ones that really make the magic happen.”

Visitors will begin their holiday tours of the White House by entering through the East Portico, where a massive, rotating star serves as a beacon of welcome and an indication of this year's official theme: “A Season of Peace and Light." The elegant guiding light is one of more than 165,000 installed for the holidays.

Gleaming metallic baubles and evergreen garlands greet guests in the East Portico’s lobby. As always, reflective ornaments play a key role in how seasonal visitors experience the White House. The First Lady said she hopes everyone sees themselves reflected in this place.