First lady Jill Biden unveiled an ice skating rink on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday as part of the holiday display at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Dr. Biden, wearing boots on the ice, recalled that when she was a child, she and her sisters loved to skate on the Delaware River.
“What is more magical, wonderful and joyful than being on an ice rink on the South Lawn of the White House?” she says.
The rink will not be open to the general public, but the White House says children of military families, frontline workers, first responders and local schoolchildren will be invited to skate in December.
At the White House, to mark the opening of the rink, were Brian Boitano, American Olympic and world champion of 1988, and Snoopy, the famous beagle from Peanuts.
The Bidens are not the first presidential family to have an ice rink on the White House grounds.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter also had an ice rink built on the South Lawn, according to the Associated Press. Rosalynn Carter was buried Wednesday in Plains, Georgia, after her death over the weekend at the age of 96.
This year White House holiday theme it’s about embracing your inner child and experiencing the magic, joy and wonder of the season. The White House now has 98 Christmas trees, more than 142,000 lights and nearly 34,000 decorations.
“Children have something to teach us, if we are wise enough to listen,” the first lady said when she unveiled the exhibit Monday. “How to stay present, even when a busy world beckons. How to open ourselves to love and wonder and marvel in every moment, no matter how ordinary.”
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