Holiday Visit to Washington, D.C.

Nothing beats seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child.

And this holiday, I had the huge honor to interview the children of diplomats serving in “unaccompanied’ posts overseas. The posts are unaccompanied, because they’re too dangerous for children. So those families stay home, and often, celebrate the holidays without their loved one.

To help take their mind off it this year, the State Department invited all the families for a holiday visit to the President’s guest house, the Blair House. Located right across the street from the White House, the Blair House is where presidents have entertained their personal guests for the past 200 years.

And this year, our sister publications Better Homes and Gardens and Traditional Home, got to help decorate!

The results were amazing, and just the thing to get us all into the holiday spirit.

But by far, the best part was meeting the children from the Murphy Family.

12 year old Seamus explained that his dad is in Iraq, “making it a more peaceful place, building hospitals and schools”.

But that means that his dad was gone this holiday season.

Still, Seamus and his sisters were the most happy, articulate children you’d ever want to meet.

To see more of what they had to say, and hear their reaction to holiday decorations, click here.

And to hear from the magazine designers responsible for the beautiful display, click here and here.

Enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

c