海角大神

What鈥檚 first lady Michelle Obama doing to get ready for Christmas?

After all, during holiday receptions more than 90,000 people tromp through the White House to look at the decorations, munch cookies, and listen to the Marine Band. That puts the impending visit of your Schenectady cousins in perspective, doesn鈥檛 it? Suddenly three preteens, two accountants, and one aging beagle doesn鈥檛 sound like too heavy a load.

Anyway, Mrs. Obama dished about her holiday workload to former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager on Wednesday鈥檚 "Today Show". She described herself as 鈥渉ostess-in-chief.鈥�

鈥淚 love that it is the one time of the year when we really open up the White House. We have thousands and thousands of visitors just streaming through every day,鈥� said FLOTUS. 鈥淚t鈥檚 beautiful, it looks great, the smells are magnificent.鈥�

She and Mrs. Hager went on to have a nice chat about how magical it is to live in a (taxpayer-subsidized) mansion during the holidays. It was all in preparation for a 鈥淎 White House Christmas: First Families Remember鈥� special running Thursday at 8 p.m. on NBC. Several comments jumped out to us:

FIRST DOGS RULE

鈥淏o is the most popular member of our family,鈥� said Mrs. Obama. What she didn鈥檛 add was that the Obama鈥檚 Portuguese Water Dog is also a star of this year鈥檚 White House decorations. In the East Room, a life-size Bo replica is the centerpiece, and handmade 鈥淏oflakes鈥� hang from the trees, according to a tour book prepared for visitors.

Bo鈥檚 also the leading canine of 鈥淏o Ho Ho鈥�, a one-minute video of 2012 White House holiday preparations. We must say that in our judgment he鈥檚 a bit stiff as an actor. He鈥檚 no Barney 鈥� George W. Bush鈥檚 Scottish terrier, whose 鈥淏arney Cam VII: A Red White and Blue Christmas鈥� would have won an Oscar for Best Dog-Based Political Infomerical, if that was an Academy Award category.

NO PRESENT FOR POTUS

That鈥檚 what his wife said, anyway. 鈥淭he president and I, we don鈥檛 exchange gifts. We say, we鈥檙e in Hawaii, Merry Christmas,鈥� the first lady told the ex-first daughter.

She鈥檚 referring there to their annual holiday trip to Hawaii, which occurs after all the tours are done and their official host and hostess responsibilities are over.

Will the Obamas get to go on this trip if negotiations over the 鈥渇iscal cliff鈥� remain unresolved? We can鈥檛 answer that 鈥� the White House won鈥檛 say. But according to Politico, federal authorities are already setting up security air and sea no-go spaces in preparation for a POTUS Hawaiian visit.

鈥淭he key air restriction surrounds Koko Head on the southeastern side of Oahu, near where Obama has vacationed in the past,鈥� writes Politico鈥檚 Josh Gerstein.

MICHELLE OBAMA鈥橲 SECRET TALENT

When they鈥檙e in Hawaii they like to do 鈥渃razy stuff,鈥� said Mrs. Obama. For one thing they have a family talent show.

鈥淓veryone has to participate, the moms and dads, whether it鈥檚 singing or reading a poem. The kids will construct a play of some sort,鈥� said FLOTUS.

She added that she did not know what she would do in the show, but even if she did, she would not disclose it to the public. That information is classified 鈥渆mbarrassing,鈥� apparently.

We know 鈥� she could pretend to address an empty chair! Or she could do Joe Biden impressions. Just putting ideas out there.

As a final note, this year鈥檚 White House holiday theme is 鈥淛oy to all.鈥� Fifty-four trees in the executive mansion are decorated to reflect this theme in some manner. The tradition of naming a theme began with Jacqueline Kennedy, who as first lady designated a Nutcracker theme one year for her daughter Caroline.

And the first first lady to have a White House Christmas tree at all? That would have been Caroline Harrison, wife of Benjamin Harrison, who was also the first first lady to use electricity.