This year's decorations honor the heroes on the frontlines battling the coronavirus.

The White House is officially all dressed up for the holidays. On Monday, November 29, First Lady Jill Biden invited Maryland elementary school students inside to view the first Christmas in the Biden White House.

In what has become a long-standing holiday tradition, each year, the current first lady drafts plans for the decor and enlists the help of volunteers to bring it to life. The theme for this year is “Gifts From the Heart” and reflects values and themes that helped raise the American spirit throughout the past year, with special attention given to frontline workers.

Each of the rooms in the residence is designed around one of these concepts; faith, community, family, friendship, learning, nature, gratitude, service, peace, unity, and the arts. It took 100 volunteers over a week to decorate more than 12 rooms, including 41 trees, 25 wreaths 10,000 ornaments, and more than 78,000-holiday lights.

The traditional gingerbread White House in the State Dining Room has some new neighbors this year. The giant gingerbread house is bordered by a grocery store, gas station, hospital, firehouse, police station, post office, and a school, representing community members that went to work each day during the pandemic.

The East Wing has been adorned with doves and stars, paying tribute to the doctors, nurses, and first responders serving on the frontlines of the pandemic. In the  East Room, the Christmas trees are covered with handwritten thank you cards to remind us of the gift of gratitude. Giant thank you cards have also been placed around the perimeter. The theme of the Blue Room, and the site of the official White House Christmas tree, is the gift of peace and unity. The tree is an 18.5-foot Fraser Fir from North Carolina. Each state and U.S. territory is represented by a silver banner held in place by peace doves.

White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room, Courtesy of Facebook

First Lady Jill Biden also included personal touches all around the White House, like pictures of the family and the grandchildren’s stockings hanging from the fireplace in the State Dining Room.

Tours and parties will be limited this year due to the coronavirus. The official Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will air on December 5, 2021. To photos and download the official White House Holiday Guide, go to WhiteHouse.gov.