White House Christmas Theme Announced

Yesterday the White House issued a press release captioned Information on White House Christmas 2014. It reveals that the theme for this year is "A Children's Winter Wonderland."  The release outlines at length the decorations in each part of the White House. It also highlights a high tech innovation:

For the first time ever this year, the White House hosted a 3D Printed Ornament Challenge, in collaboration with the Smithsonian and Instructables..... From a holiday Abe Lincoln and happy snowmen to a map of highways in the United States, the Challenge received over 300 designs, many of which were creative, whimsical and beautiful.....

The Challenge highlights the importance of the Maker Movement and the way that tools and technologies like 3D printing are enabling more people to take their ideas and turn them into reality. Educators are increasingly using technologies like 3D printing to engage students in a hands-on approach to learning about STEM.

White House Blog Notes Tonight's Start of Purim

Tonight is the start of the Jewish holiday of Purim.  A blog post from the White House Office of Public Engagement yesterday notes this by summarizing the story of Purim, and adding that "Purim’s more serious underlying themes of persecution and survival in the face of the planned genocide of ancient Persia’s Jews" still resonates.  Much of the post though is devoted to recipes for the traditional Purim pastry, hamantaschen.

White House Holiday Page Now Up On Its Website

The White House has launched its 2013 Holiday Page on its website. It includes videos of White House holiday events, suggestions for crafts projects, and social media postings from White House guests about their holiday experiences. The White House is also featuring an invitation for those who interact with it regularly on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to register for a chance to attend an in-person White House Holiday Social on Dec. 16.