“Anyone can be great,” Martin Luther King, Jr., asserted, “because anyone can serve.” The 100 people who decorated the White House this year had a chance to experience greatness, at least as far as a great historic and artistic experience is concerned.

I was one of those volunteers. Already, I have been asked 341 times, “How were you chosen?” The answer is simple: I wrote a letter to the White House, stating my desire to decorate the 37 trees and numerous garlands that reflect the First Lady’s theme this year: “Shine, Give, and Share.”
 
I’ve also been asked, 245 times, “Did you have to pay your own way?” The answer, alas, is yes. But…the opportunity to join others from all across the country in transforming the White House into a holiday spectacle was well worth the cost.
 
We worked for five days and on the sixth day, the first lady herself hosted a reception for us. She thanked the volunteers, who ranged in age from 91 to 21, and then stayed to shake hands and chat. There were many family combinations doing decorating duty, including the Jones family--three generations of Los Angelenos.
 
Also present was Mr. Christmas, Bill Hixson, whose floral shop in Lakewood, Ohio, has been decorating the White House since the Reagan administration. He has also designed floral arrangements for events involving Queen Elizabeth, the emperor of Japan, Mikhail Gorbachev and others.
 
The most popular non-human figure, though, was Bo, the first dog. Replicas of this special Portuguese water dog were scattered among the rooms. The accompanying photo shows the author greeting a Bo made of felt. Other Bo’s were made of licorice/marshmallow or buttons or black/white trash bags.

By far, the most awe-inspiring holiday scene was the official balsam fir tree in the Blue Room, dedicated to members of the armed forces. Cards drawn by children of military families decorate the tree, as do medals and badges from every branch of the military.

 If you’d like to make 2012 a great year, write that letter now. The address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW; Washington, DC 20500.