Last Wednesday I spent the day at the White House. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to tour the holiday decorations through my daughter’s work as a journalist.[1] It was as gloriously colorful and majestic as one would hope for the nation’s house at this time of year:
I got to see some of my favorite people there as well:
The Washington Wizards basketball team was also there having a private tour. It was hard to see things until they cleared a room, but they were in as much awe at being there as we were to both be there and see them. It was really kind of adorable.
After the decoration tour, I also got to live out my West Wing fantasies by taking a non-public tour through the press area (see above journalist daughter). We were about 25 feet from the door to the Oval Office (don’t worry we were vetted, scanned, and sniffed[2] before getting anywhere near this area and President Biden was in Delaware). I saw the West Wing portico that Presidents (real and fictional) walk through to get from the Oval Office to the Residence. I got to do my CJ impression (only about a foot shorter) in the press briefing room and made sure I only called on the empty chairs belonging to PBS and NPR. I didn’t have to take questions from every press outlet in my fantasy, and therefore I didn’t. We also saw the Press Secretary’s office (she was in Delaware too). It was super cool[3].
Overall, it was a glorious and exciting day. We easily logged 15,000 steps in between the flights there and back. But we also realized as we were hanging out with the press office, that every one of these folks had about a month left in their jobs. They could have been understandably grumpy or cavalier, but instead they were earnestly going about their business. They gave us Joe Biden Hershey kisses (from the very last box they told us) and holiday cards signed by Joe and Jill and Willow. It was a display of grace far more shining than all the lights on all the trees and windows of the decoration tour. In short, even on the way out they were a class act.
So, while my new friends pack up their offices, I hope they realize that we are grateful for their work these past four years, and more so their work over the next four weeks–and we too are sad but moving forward even if it means we have to leave this House…for a bit.
Happy Holidays!!!!!
(Liz Stillman)
[1] This is her author page, and yes, we’ve been told we look alike: https://www.businessinsider.com/author/juliana-kaplan
[2] We were most proud of the fact that we did not yield to amazing temptation and pet the Secret Service puppy-and by puppy I mean a giant Belgian Malinois (I asked) wearing a bullet proof harness. And yes, we did wonder if they had reassigned the Biden’s dog Commander but we did not ask that question…
[3] Although it smelled a bit like burnt popcorn because someone had tried to use the fireplace without opening the flue-which they all laughed about as being an actual plotline on The West Wing come alive….
