First Family Welcomes First White House Christmas Tree Friday

November 27, 2009 6:47 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The First Family welcomes their first official White House Christmas tree on Friday, a day after they spent Thanksgiving dinner with about 50 guests.

An 18 ½ foot Douglas-fir will be brought on a horse-drawn carriage, following tradition, to be presented to First Lady Michelle Obama. The tree, which comes from Shepherdstown, West Virginia, will be displayed in the Blue Room during the holiday season.

The First Lady and President Barack Obama hosted family, friends and staff the previous night to celebrate their first Thanksgiving at the White House. The dishes included the President's favorites, turkey and pumpkin pie, as well as honey-baked ham, oyster stuffing, banana cream pie and huckleberry pie.

Earlier in the day, the President pardoned his first turkey, named Courage, on the North Portico, joking that, "Thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha -- because I was planning to eat this sucker --- Courage will be spared this terrible and delicious fate."

He also called 10 U.S. service members - two for each of the five military branches - to thank them for their service and greet them during the holiday.

The four-day Thanksgiving break caps a hectic month for Obama in which he made his maiden visit to Asia, marked his first Veterans Day as commander-in-chief with a memorial service at Fort Hood, and successfully pushed for the passage of healthcare bills in the House and the Senate despite the united opposition of Republicans. The President also held his final Afghan war council with members of his national security team, ahead of his announcement about the new strategy in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Apart from the war, the President will also devote next week to preparing for a key climate change conference in Copenhagen.