每年感恩節過后，美國圣誕節日的氣氛越來越濃。2009年12月3 日，白宮女
主人米歇爾- 奧巴馬宣布了這一年白宮圣誕節的主題及相關活動，并向大家展示
了披上節日新裝的白宮。除了洋溢歡慶氣氛外，白宮的節日裝飾秉承了第一夫人
素來倡導的理念，多處細節體現出環保意識。那么，就讓我們一睹這位素以環保
及健康為己任的第一夫人的風采吧！

    MRS. OBAMA： Hello. Good afternoon. Welcome to the White House and
Happy Holidays！ Thanks to all of you for joining us here today as we
preview how we will mark the holidays here at the White House.

    Now ， like many years past ， we've actually been planning this day，
and the holiday season， since the summer. And our starting point was
a very simple idea： that we include as many people ， in as many places，
in as many ways as we can.

    So we decided to do something just a little different. We took about
800 ornaments left over from previous administrations ， we sent them
to 60 local community groups throughout the country ， and asked them
to decorate them to pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then
send them back to us for display here at the White House.

    And today ， thanks to the East Wing and Residence staff， and 92
volunteers from 24 states who spent more than 3 ，400 hours decorating
over the last several days， we have ornaments hanging on the tree behind
me throughout the White House and everywhere else that include the Statue
of Liberty， Mount Rushmore ， the Kennedy Center —— Space Center ，
as well as some less known places like Davy Crockett Park in Tennessee，
Pompey's Pillar in Billings ， Montana and one of my favorites， the Lincoln
Park Zoo in Chicago.

    We also have one of the favorite traditions here at the White House
on display -– it's the gingerbread masterpiece by our brilliant chef
Bill Yosses ， and his team.

    But this year we've included something a little bit different. In
addition to the gingerbread White House we also have the White House Kitchen
Garden on the South Lawn， a shadow box that lets you look into the gingerbread
White House and view the State Dining Room. And I just saw there's also
a little Bo （小編注：白宮養的小狗） replica. （Laughter. ） So that's
a new addition.

    And we opened the doors last night to the first of more than 50 ，
000 visitors who will come to the White House during this holiday season，
and it's safe to say that everyone was really impressed. And I heard you
all partying last night. You had a great time.（Laughter. ）

    For many people ， a visit to the White House is a once-in-a-lifetime
experience and it has been made even more magical because of all of your
hard work ， all of our volunteers. So I want to take just a moment again
to thank all of our volunteers who spent so much time making this White
House such a special treat， and we hope you had as good a time as it
sounded like you had last night.（Laughter. ） Your work has really transformed
the White House ， which is ， as we always say ， the people's house ，
and we're so grateful for everything that you've done to make this really
a special treat for all of us.

    And finally ， I want to take a moment to talk about why we chose
this year's theme ， which is "Reflect， Rejoice and Renew."

    And for the Obama family， Christmas and the New Year has always been
a time to reflect on our many blessings ， to rejoice in the pleasure
of spending time with our family and our friends， and to renew our commitment
to one another and to the causes that we believe in. And I wanted to continue
that part of the tradition during our first holiday season here at the
White House.

    And this year has been filled with an infinite number of blessings
for me and my family. And I say this all the time ， but every day I am
honored to be this nation's First Lady. And from the day that my family
arrived here， I have wanted the American people to share in our journey，
to share in the history and the excitement that makes the White House
such a special landmark in this nation.

    That's why we've worked so hard throughout this year to invite as
many people as possible to events here at the White House. We've tried
to showcase talents and contributions of our artists and our inventors，
of students and masters ， of exalted heroes and ordinary citizens of
every age and every background. The idea has been to create an environment
where every story and every voice is welcome in the White House ， and
for all of us to rejoice in their accomplishments and to celebrate their
contributions to the life of this nation.

    And in the new year ， we all intend to renew this effort and continue
this kind of outreach ， so that everyone feels like they have a place
here at the White House. And I know many people approach the holidays
in the same way in their own lives， and that at this time of year for
so many people， they are looking for opportunities to give thanks and
to give back. And we're doing the same thing here at the White House.
We're focusing our efforts this year on two very important causes ——
we're supporting local food banks ， and the Toys for Tots program.

    Hunger is on the rise here in America ， hitting its highest levels
in nearly 15 years. A recent report released by the USDA reveals that
in 2008 ， an estimated 1.1 million children were living in households
that experienced hunger multiple times over this year. And， of course，
no child in the United States of America should ever go to bed hungry ，
and no family in this country should have to worry that they won't have
food on the table ， not just during the holidays ， but every day.

    So to combat hunger this winter ， in coordination with the Corporation
for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture，
we're launching the United We Serve "Feed a Neighbor" initiative. And
this is a program that will provide all Americans with resources to help
combat hunger in their own communities. This initiative is a great way
for you ， for all Americans， along with their friends and families，
to give back not just during the holidays ， but throughout the year.
By going to serve.gov ， this program will connect Americans to opportunities
like delivering meals to homebound seniors， offering professional skills
at a food pantry， or planting a community garden and sharing produce
with neighbors.

    We're also pleased to be supporting the Toys for Tots program. Over
the past year ， I've had the privilege of visiting servicemen and women，
and their families， all across this country， and have spent much of
my time in the White House working to ensure that we properly honor their
service.

    And each time I visit a base or meet with members of our Armed Forces
and veterans， I'm struck not just by the extraordinary sacrifices they
and their family make to serve our country， but by all they do to help
others right here at home in their own communities.

    And the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program is a great
example of how servicemen and women are doing even more than just serving
our country in uniform. For more than 62 years， Marines have distributed
more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children. And
in 2008 alone ， the program was active in 657 communities in all 50 states，
the District of Columbia， Puerto Rico， and the Virgin Islands. Marines
and volunteers distributed more than 16.2 million toys that year to 7.6
million children. That was one of their best years ever.

    So I'm thrilled this year that the White House staff is going to be
supporting these efforts with a toy drive to help make the holidays a
little brighter for children in the surrounding communities. The Toys
for Tots headquarters is located outside of Marine Corps base Quantico，
and I look forward to visiting there later this month to personally deliver
the toys that we collect here at the White House.

    So these are just two important ways that we'll be marking the holidays
here at the White House. So the President and I are urging everyone to
join us in these efforts， or to find some way to give back some time
during this holiday season.

    So on behalf of the Obama family， I wish all of you a joyous and
meaningful holiday season. And it is my pleasure to introduce Toys for
Tots President and CEO， Lieutenant General Pete Osman， who will provide
some additional information about this year's program.

    Thank you all very much.