The Winter Solstice

Bonnie checked, double checked and triple checked her multiple airline reservations to make it home to Indiana for the holidays...

Carol practiced her angling skills by dangling a fishing pole with mistletoe as a lure over the head of a passing Secret Service Agent...

Ainsley appropriated a smidgeon of gingerbread off the back of one of the houses decorating the White House and nearly broke a tooth because it was shellacked...

Cathy sent Sam a Christmas card saying she missed him and missed stealing his food...

Ginger took over Toby's office to wrap the gift the bullpen designated her to buy. It was the latest Julia Child cookbook...

Toby was out of the office taking one used and three new overcoats to the Goodwill...

Andrea set up a meal station under the P Street Bridge and knew who would be at her side helping to serve...

Josh sneaked a snowball into the White House and made his way to the office of the Deputy Director of Communications for an ambush...

Sam was caught by surprise when the snowball hit and since he was trying on skis at the time, he fell flat on his face...

Mallory found him that way as she led a group of her students through the White House on the way to sing carols...

Leo dug out a hand drawn card and handmade ashtray remembering a day when Mallory sang a solo at her grade school Christmas program...

Margaret juggled Leo's appointments with making progress on her Christmas to-do list. She checked off making potpourri using her garden's bounty...

Donna took a second from doing her Christmas shopping on the Internet to buy herself a Yo Yo Ma CD because Yo Yo Ma rules...

Zoey felt a little closer to her Manchester house when she put her flannel sheets from there on her White House bed...

Danny arranged for a horse drawn sleigh ride under the Winter Solstice moon and went to tell C.J...

C.J. handed him a package of mulled cider mix with the promise to heat things up later...

The President showed off report cards from Charlie and Zoey that put them on the Deans' List...

Charlie arranged for Christmas Eve delivery of flowers to the graves of Simon and Andrew Landingham at Arlington National Cemetery...

The First Lady put a candle in the window to be seen far and wide in remembrance of lost family and friends who are still held dear though far away...

It all added up to the first day of Winter at the White House.

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