White House Christmas Decorations 2012: Michelle Obama unveils 300-lb Gingerbread White House

A 300 lbs gingerbread replica of the White House was the centrepiece of the White House Christmas decorations, unveiled Wednesday by First Lady Michelle Obama.

The impressive structure, which features a marzipan version of the kitchen garden and an oversized model of First Dog Bo, was pride of place in the State Dining Room.

Michelle Obama presented this year’s decorations before an appreciative crowd of military families Wednesday, then spent some time doing holiday crafts with military kids.

The theme for this year’s decorations is Joy to All, but First Dog Bo seems to steals the show.

There are 40 Bo-flake ornaments throughout the White House that feature cutout images of the dog.

There’s a life-size replica of the dog, with a string of lights in his mouth, in the East Garden Room.

And there’s an outsized statue of the Portuguese water dog next to the 300-pound gingerbread house in the State Dining Room.

Michelle Obama said that reflects Bo’s high standing at the White House.

“He’s almost as big as the house,” she declared.

“He is such a huge personality.”

Visitors also will get a Bo bookmark that sends them on a scavenger hunt for Bo-ornaments stashed in eight rooms.

Bo himself made an appearance during Wednesday’s festivities, sporting a jingle bell collar, and was quickly swarmed by young guests.

This year’s decorations include lots of handmade items that could easily be done at home, including patriotic wreaths and ornaments wrapped in red, white and blue yarn to fit with Michelle Obama’s emphasis on supporting military families.

The gargantuan gingerbread house, however, is not a feat for amateurs to attempt: It contains more than 175 pounds of gingerbread and modified gingerbread and more than 50 pounds of chocolate.

Pastry chef Bill Yosses mixed up a combination of wheat, rye and white-flour gingerbread that mimics the color of the sandstone house prior to 1798, when the house was first painted white.

More than 90,000 visitors are expected to pass through the White House this holiday season.

Executive chef Cristeta Comerford said she’s drawing on the recipes in Michelle Obama’s gardening book, American Grown, as she prepares food for all the guests.

The treats will include sweet potato quick bread, green beans with almonds and a winter salad featuring fennel.

The massive decorating job – there are 54 live Christmas trees in the White House – comes together in just five days, with the help of 85 volunteers from around the country.

This year’s volunteers included Nellie Funk, a military wife from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who was working beside retired homicide detective Tracy Jacobson from Southern California.

Asked which job was more fun – detective or decorator – Tracy Jacobson deadpanned: “This has been much more fun.”