Melania Trump has unveiled the White House Christmas decorations for the final time as first lady.

In a departure from previous years, Mrs Trump chose traditional green trees for the 132 rooms at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

This year 125 volunteers helped decorate 62 trees, put up 106 wreaths, more than 1,200ft of garland, over 3,200 strands of lights and 17,000 bows to reflect Mrs Trump’s “America the Beautiful” theme for the festive season.

Monday’s big reveal came just weeks after a secret recording emerged in which the first lady was heard complaining about decorating for the holidays.

The July 2018 conversation was recorded by former White House aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who published a tell-all book about their relationship and was fired this year.

In it, Mrs Trump said: “I’m working… my a** off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f*** about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?”

This year, frontline workers and first responders are the focus of the Red Room decorations, where the trees have been adorned with handmade ornaments.

The official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room – a fir more than 18ft tall – was designed by students, who were asked by the National Park Service to depict what makes their home states beautiful.

In the state dining room a Gingerbread White House – made from more than 400lb of dough, gum paste, chocolate and royal icing – features the Rose Garden for the first time after Mrs Trump renovated it this year.

The Rose Garden was where President Donald Trump hosted the so-called “super spreader” event in September that saw Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as a Supreme Court Judge and was linked to several cases of coronavirus among White House staff.

Mr and Mrs Trump tested positive for the virus days later.

This year, a buck and a crane are featured in a three-dimensional art hanging in windows of the Green Room, where American wildlife is the highlight.

The East Wing walkway is lined with green foliage from different states.

Trees and other decorations in the East Room feature planes, trains and cars – including models of Air Force One – in a nod to triumphs in innovations and technology.

And presents beneath decorated trees lining the Cross Hall bear tags that say “peace,” “love,” “faith” and “joy”.

In previous years, Mrs Trump’s unusual festive choices have included red trees that were likened to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and bright white foliage instead of the traditional green.

This December is the last the Trumps will spend in the White House, before president-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on 20 January.

Mr Trump continues to falsely insist he won the 3 November election.

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