First Lady Finds Visions of Sugarplums on Return Home

Hillary Rodham Clinton opened the White House holiday season Monday by peering into an artist’s edible rendition of her childhood home on Wisner Street in Park Ridge, Ill.

Clad in a kelly-green suit and colorful Christmas jewelry, Mrs. Clinton said her girlhood home’s northern exposure was perfect for her and brother Hugh to play in the snow.

“If we built a snowman here, the snowman would be there until the bitter end of winter,” she said.

The 70-pound home is made of gingerbread and icing. The bedroom has a bed, wooden trunk, dresser and a colorful wall mural of sugarplum fairies.

The First Lady also spoke about the deployment of U.S. troops to Bosnia just before the holidays.

She said she hoped Americans “will think not only to pray for them and follow them and support them, but will also think about the families back home.”

Mrs. Clinton said she and President Clinton were exhausted from their European trip. They arrived home Sunday night to a White House sparkling with 32 elegant Christmas trees laced with ribbons of dusty rose and gold. Rich cranberry-colored dropcloths of velvet lay on parquet floors.

The centerpiece of the Yuletide finery in the Blue Room at the president’s house is an 18 1/2-foot fir tree trimmed with needlepoint ornaments.

Decorations on the floors open to the public include trees hung with gingerbread, marzipan, cookie dough and chocolate ornaments. Students from all over the country designed the 3,500 ornaments.

More than 150,000 visitors are expected to tour the White House in the next few weeks.