Melania Celebrates Arrival Of Christmas Tree With Fresh Look

Model-turned-first lady Melania Trump is busy preparing for Christmas at the White House, a job traditionally saved for the president's spouse, with some exceptions. Michelle Obama invited her daughters and the family's doggies to help out in 2014, for example, while Melania chose to go solo in 2020. Following tradition, Melania emerged from the North Portico of the White House on November 23rd, 2020 to welcome the 18-and-a-half-foot Fraser fir from Dan and Bryan Trees in West Virginia. The tree arrived in a festive green horse-drawn carriage dressed with simple wreaths, delivered as a military band played "O Tannenbaum" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." The first lady inspected the tree and posed for the media before returning into the White House. During her quick appearance, Melania presented a big smile and a fresh look. Since she caught Donald Trump's eye in 1998 and became a public figure, Melania has usually sported brunette locks that fall just below her shoulders. However, she seemed to be testing the waters in 2020 with lighter hair before debuting a completely blonde look for the arrival of the White House Christmas tree. Melania completed her new look by dressing in a long houndstooth coat with black knee-high boots and long black gloves. Her wide smile seemingly showed her excitement for the event, but was it all just for show? Many critics online were quick to point out that Melania reportedly hates Christmas — or at least having to decorate for it. Is Melania really a closet Grinch? In October 2020, CNN's Anderson Cooper played a leaked 2018 recording of a conversation between Melania and her former aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Melania also complained to Wolkoff about the stress of decorating for the holidays, and the pressure she felt to do it. The 2018 White House Christmas decorations Melania was discussing with Wolkoff were a bit more traditional than the 2017 aesthetic, which was described by Tonight Show writer Jess Dweck on Twitter as resembling, quote, "the rotting void inside of us." IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich, meanwhile, compared the stark look to an environment found in the PlayStation survival horror series Silent Hill. So maybe Melania's stress stemmed from trying to tone down her somewhat severe aesthetic sensibilities, which were widely mocked the year before. The fact that the leaked recordings of Melania dissing her Christmas duties appeared so close to her accepting the 2020 White House Christmas tree also fired up a lot of folks on Twitter. One user posted, "Melania walking out and pretending to like Christmas at this point is actually pretty funny. She lives for petty." While another joked, "The war on Christmas is coming from inside the house." Whether Melania likes Christmas or not, her holiday spirit may be dampened this year considering her husband was not re-elected to a second term in office, with reports swirling that she's been begging him to concede. While the Trump campaign was positive they would see Melania accept extremely large, horse-delivered Christmas trees for the next four years, their plan did not come into fruition when Joe Biden was named the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Rumors surfaced that Donald Trump would refuse to leave the White House as his campaign put up a legal fight and claimed election fraud, all while Trump refused to follow the American tradition of conceding his loss. However, CNN reported that behind the scenes, both Melania and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner urged the 45th president of the United States to accept the defeat. Furthermore, a source reported that Melania allegedly can't wait to return to her normal life in New York. An insider told Naughty But Nice podcast host Rob Shuter, "For the past four years, Melania has missed her life in New York. She loves the city and the lifestyle she used to have and cannot wait to get it back at Trump Tower. She basically put her life on hold to be with her husband in D.C. She never wanted any of this." If this is true, Melania should be happy to return to her old life, and maybe even her old holiday decor, starting in 2021. Watch the video to see how Melania Celebrates Arrival Of Christmas Tree With Fresh Look! #MelaniaTrump #Christmas