Amid a light rain and with a winter chill in the air, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue hosted the annual White House holiday reception for members of the press Monday afternoon. But first, the more than 600 reporters and their guests (one per reporter) formed a block-long line to clear security and make their way to the coat check and then a photo opportunity (for those who wanted one) and greeting from President George W. Bush and first lady, Laura Bush. It was but one of the 25 holiday parties and seven dinners for 60,000 guests that the Bush family will host this month, under the supervision of White House social secretary Amy Zantzinger for a final time.
The main attractions, beyond the grandeur of the home and the honor of an invitation, are the heavy buffets and dessert stations in the East Room and State Dining Room, which this year the staff decorated for the season with far less glitter and fewer tufts of cotton. Among the limited number of round tables for six guests, the most coveted were those in front of the windows facing the South Lawn, with a distant view of the glowing national Christmas tree.
In a quick survey, more than one reporter noted that the chefs prepared more vegetarian choices (gratin of cauliflower, steamed asparagus, and an avocado and pink grapefruit salad) and lighter fare this year. Mexican food was missing. As always, the buffet featured baby lamb chops, roast beef, and shrimp cocktail. Pastry chefs made cupcakes for the first time and baked a chocolate-covered cookie in the shape of a cat to join the terrier-shaped cookies on the dessert buffet. Despite the size of the crowd, the food lines moved swiftly.
More children attended with a parent this year. “It might be a last opportunity for a lot of these people to bring a child to visit the White House,” said one reporter. “The way things are going, they may not have a job next year.” As the crowd thinned and the two-hour reception wound down, staff members closed the connecting doors between the five rooms and gently coaxed the crowd to the lower level and out into the cold night.
