The first lady also taped a childrenвЂ™s tourof the White House with characters from PBS KIDS. She revived the long tradition - which had lapsed under the previous administration - of opening the executive mansion for the PBS series, вЂњIn Performance at the White House.вЂќ A holiday-themed installment aired Tuesday night featuring Andrea Bocelli, Billy Porter, Norah Jones, The Jonas Brothers and others performing from different rooms in the White House. In part to make up for the lack of access, photos and an interactive tour of the decorations were uploaded to the White House website, and the first lady tweeted video of herself describing the decor and theme in each of the rooms and public spaces. вЂњItвЂ™s a shame that more people canвЂ™t go through, but itвЂ™s the reality of being in a pandemic.вЂќ ItвЂ™s just gorgeous,вЂќ said Jeremy Bernard, who oversaw holiday decorating and event planning as President Barack ObamaвЂ™s social secretary. вЂњThe White House is never as beautiful as it is at Christmas. In addition to fewer people passing through for the open houses, thousands of other people didnвЂ™t get a close-up look at how Jill Biden decked out White House hallways and public rooms for the holidays because public tours of the mansion remain on indefinite hold. вЂњIt is disappointing that we cannot host as many people as the Bidens would like to, but as we have done since Day 1 of the Biden Administration, we will continue to implement strong COVID protocols, developed in consultation with our public health advisers,вЂќ LaRosa said. вЂњAnyone who knows the Bidens knows how much they enjoy hosting and celebrating the holidays,вЂќ Michael LaRosa, the first ladyвЂ™s spokesperson, said in announcing a limited number of open houses for invited guests to ooh and aah over the Christmas trees and other decorations. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts.Д«ut the pandemicвЂ™s biggest blow to the calendar came at Christmas, forcing the White House to overhaul its holiday entertaining - and trim the guest list.

The Bidens also hosted large receptions for Hanukkahand for artists recognized by the John F. Still, the White House managed to pull off some events despite the pandemic, such as bill-signing and Medal of Honor ceremonies. In fact, months passed before Biden was able to welcome a foreign leader to the Oval Office for even lower-key talks. The Democratic president also has yet to toast a foreign counterpart at a glitzy White House state dinner because he has yet to invite a world leader for a state visit. Major social events scrubbed from the calendar included the White House ball for the nationвЂ™s governors and the Easter Egg Roll, the second straight year that springtime ritual has been canceled.

He noted that many events were not held while the president and first lady did others over Zoom. вЂњI think itвЂ™s been really tough on them,вЂќ said Philip Dufour, who was Vice President Al GoreвЂ™s social secretary. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have replaced the packed parties and overflowing buffet tables of the past with food-free open houses, face masks and testing for the unvaccinated.Д«eyond the impact on BidenвЂ™s first Christmas in office, the virus and its variants largely put the kibosh on the entire White House social scene for 2021, starting with an inauguration that positioned flags in place of people on the National Mall. ItвЂ™s been a less merry holiday sceneat the White House this year under COVID-19вЂ™s shadow. WASHINGTON (AP) - So long eggnog, shrimp cocktail and pet-shaped sugar cookies.

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