Visiting the White House at Christmas with the Stinson Family

The Stinsons wanted to visit the White House during their time in Virginia, so we went in the morning on December 19th.

I've toured the East Wing of the White House several times, but it was the first time for Kent and the Stinson family.

 This was the official sign for Christmas at the White House, 2017.

 The words on the sign aren't very clear, which is why I took the photo of just the sign.

We went through several security checkpoints before we could go inside.

This was the first entry way we went through.

 There were dozens of Christmas trees throughout the White House.

 The fireplace mantles were all elegantly decorated. Note Kent in the background.

Looks like Jason and Kiera photo bombed me in this picture. This photo was taken in the Blue Room.

 Tree in the Blue Room.

Lissa and Savannah in the Red Room.

 The Red Room had a candy can theme.

Loved this view of the White House nativity and a portrait of George Washington.

 And another room with a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

Awesome back drop for a family picture!

 Another nice back drop--the replica of the White House in gingerbread.

 This hall was filled with lovely flocked Christmas trees. That's the view of into the room with the Nativity scene.

 This is the view facing the other direction.

I saw a cute little girl standing next to this tree!

Another good photo spot, with the seal of the President of the United States above us. It was very exciting to see the White House decorated for Christmas!

We made a couple of other stops in DC that day, including the Smithsonian American History Museum.

There's a temporary exhibit called "Religion in Early America"

 It had a portrait of Joseph Smith and a copy of an 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon.

 I took some pictures before I noticed the sign that said "No photographs."

These are some Kirtland currency from 1837.

We also toured the exhibit of the flag that was flying over Fort McHenry when the "Star Spangled Banner" was written by Francis Scott Key.

The Stinsons made a quick dash through the National Archives to see the original documents of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It was a day full of highlights!