By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
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WASHINGTON — Step inside the White House during the holidays by walking beneath the branches of a Christmas tree. Stroll along a hallway decorated with oversized holiday candy and other sweets. See Santa’s sleigh and his eight reindeer suspended above the grand foyer in dramatic fashion.

Jill Biden wants everyone who visits the White House during the holidays to feel like a kid again.

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“Each room is designed to capture this pure, unfiltered delight and imagination” so visitors “see this time of year through the wondrous, sparkling eyes of children,” the first lady said Monday at the first of a month’s worth of holiday receptions. About 100,000 visitors are expected for the holidays.

“Magic, Wonder and Joy” is the theme this year, President Joe Biden’s third in the White House.

Jill Biden said it was “so amazing” to see the Christmas tree atop the entrance to the East Wing when they returned Sunday night after spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

“When Joe and I saw that last night, we were just, like, mesmerized,” she said.

The whimsical set of oversized decorations is meant to inspire the feelings of awe and wonder that put children on joyful edge during the holidays, White House aides said.

Throughout two public floors of the White House, the décor features several nods to the 200th anniversary of the publication of the poem and book commonly known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” (The official title is “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”)

The papier-mâché reindeer suspended in the foyer are “so cool,” she said. “It’s like they’re leaping from the storybook’s pages. I don’t know how you feel about it. I feel it’s just breathtaking.”

On Wednesday, the first lady will unveil a holiday ice rink on the White House lawn.

The White House did not release information about how the rink will be used.