WASHINGTON - First Lady Laura Bush showed how the White House looks at Christmastime, with decorations made by artists from around the nation.

Getting ready for a White House Christmas is no easy task. There will be 25 receptions and seven dinners for the president and first lady to host during the month of December, and they want to make sure that every guest is dazzled.

This year, room after room in the White House Christmas is decorated in this year's theme -- a red, white and blue Christmas.

"I've gotten letters from people who said why don't you do a red, white and blue Christmas and it looks terrific," Laura Bush said. 

The first lady provided the first look at this year's official Christmas tree Wednesday, decked out with 369 decorations from artists around the country.

All of the bulbs were hand painted for the White House with many of them carrying special stories. "The youngest artist is an 8-year-old who did this," said Bush. "She has a brain tumor, her name is Katie Stoots."

This year, the first lady said the White House went green, stringing low energy LED bulbs on the trees and recycling several decorations from years' past.

What's new is a replica of the White House's north portico made with 125 pounds of gingerbread and more than 350 pounds of white chocolate. While it's not for eating, the more than 60,000 invited guests over the next month will enjoy more than 22,000 home-baked holiday cookies.

There will also be 250 coconut cakes, 600 pounds of asparagus, and 700 gallons of eggnog. The White House chefs have been preparing now for two months.

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On the Web: A Red, White and Blue Christmas