Obamas Recycle Ornaments from Christmas Past

It used to be that Christmas at the White House dazzled visitors with the glitter of thousands of fairy lights. But not this year. Not in this economy and not with this practical-minded First Lady.

On Wednesday, Michelle Obama debuted a White House whose decked halls were decidedly understated. Where the Bushes and Clintons previously put up a dozen Christmas trees in the mansion's Foyer and Cross Hall alone, there are just seven on the entire State floor this year. The biggest of them – the 18½ foot Douglas fir in the Blue Room – is decorated with recycled ornaments that Mrs. Obama's team dug out of the warehouse where old White House decorations are stored.

"We took about 800 ornaments left over from previous administrations, we sent them to 60 local community groups throughout the country, and asked them to decorate them to pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then send them back to us for display here at the White House," said Mrs. Obama.

Decorating in woodland colors of brown, gold, claret and cinnamon, Mrs. Obama chose as her theme, "Reflect. Rejoice. Renew." Aides said the toned-down décor was both a nod to the tough economic times and Mrs. Obama's interest in environmentalism. (The traditional White House gingerbread house features a miniature kitchen garden like the one Mrs. Obama had dug on the South Lawn.)

"For the Obama family, Christmas and the New Year has always been a time to reflect on our many blessings, to rejoice in the pleasure of spending time with our family and our friends, and to renew our commitment to one another and to the causes that we believe in," the First Lady said.

The first of 17 White House holiday parties was held Tuesday night, for the 92 volunteers who strung lights and hung ornaments. Mrs. Obama herself, who teased the volunteers about making a lot of partying noise, only popped down for a minute.

"She said the girls were upstairs doing homework and she couldn’t stay," said volunteer Kim Fawley, a schoolteacher from Broadway, Virginia.

First Family's Official Portrait Released

The White House released a new portrait of the Obama family on its official Flickr account on Friday. The photo was taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, who has followed President Obama and his family closely this year.

In January, she shot a portfolio for Vanity Fair. Earlier this year, her photo of Michelle Obama graced the cover of Vogue's March issue, making it only the second time a president's wife appeared on the cover of the fashion magazine.

New Book Claims Michelle Obama Miffed by Barack's Female Fans

When your husband is the most sought-after figure in the Free World, how do you handle female admirers grab-happy for his behind?

First Lady Michelle Obama allegedly says, "Get a life" – at least according to author Christopher Andersen in his new book, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage.

Writing about first couple's very public relationship and the flood of the Mr. Obama's very over-eager female fans on the campaign trail, Andersen states – as was first reported by the New York Post – that on a number of occasions, Barack Obama would hide his shock and surprise when women would reach for him, allegedly professing, "Jesus, I wish they'd stop grabbing my ass."

Understandably upset, Mrs. Obama had words of her own for her husband's admirers. "I want to tell these women, 'Back off,' " Andersen quotes her as saying. "It's just embarrassing, that's all."

When it came to all the attention her husband received from the ladies, Michelle reportedly said, "He's loving it. He's a man, isn't he?"

And while the book claims that at the time these situations would push the First Lady to give the President the silent treatment, Andersen quotes a source as also suggesting that Michelle personally managed to help remove a particular campaign worker from Barack's orbit once the working relationship had grown closer than she liked.

A White House spokeswoman declined comment.

Michelle Obama Finds White House LifeGood for Kids

The White House has bestowed a surprisingly calming influence on the First Family, according to Michelle Obama – who says the residence has been a particularly positive experience for daughters Malia 10, and Sasha, 7.

When it comes to living in the Executive Mansion, the First Lady tells Time magazine for its latest issue, on sale Friday, "It has been the greatest single benefit of this for us as a family. It means that we see each other every day. And that hasn't happened for most of the kids' lifetime."

As the wife of Illinois's junior senator, Mrs. Obama was once asked if she would consider a move to Washington, D.C. "I was like, no," she remembers. Now, she's enjoying having the man of the house at home.

"It's rare [for most families] to have dad at home for dinner, to see him in the mornings, to have him there when you go to bed at night, just to be able to have the casual conversations that happen about life at dinnertime," says Mrs. Obama. "That's been terrific. It's normal. It's more normal than we've had for a very long time

Still, it is the White House. On maintaining their perspective and keeping the family intact, Mrs. Obama says, "We stay 100 percent in their world all the time. And I don't know if you understand that, but their lives are very disconnected from this [place]. You can do that with kids when they are young, because they just don't care."

The Chief Executive agrees. "Among the many wonderful things about being President," Barack Obama tells Time, "the best is that I get to live above the office and see Michelle and the kids every day. I see them in the morning. We have dinner every night. It is the thing that sustains me."

He also takes work breaks for what he terms "Michelle time," when retreats from his office to the residence. Every now and then, his wife shows up in the West Wing with family dog Bo or the kids for what the magazine calls "a brief but lively interruption."

"And if the kids really, really need to see him, they can," she says. "They're free to walk in. They're welcome wherever they want to go around here."

Obamas Celebrated Easter with Fergie

The Easter Bunny couldn't hold a candle to Malia Obama at this year's White House Easter Egg Roll. When the microphone at Monday's event malfunctioned, the elder First Daughter remedied the situation.

"I'd like to introduce Malia, my technical advisor,' " joked her father, President Obama. Then came the First Lady's warm welcome and rundown of the day's outdoor events, innocently interrupted by an inquiry from daughter Sasha, 7: "Tennis too?"

While there would be no game, there was Fergie – who delivered a memorable version of the national anthem, prompting a huge hug from the president.

What followed was an all-day outdoor concert with the theme, "Let's Go Play." Activities included yoga, soccer, break-dancing, health-conscious cooking and the traditional Easter Egg Roll. The president, alongside Sasha and Malia, kicked off the first round with a whistle and a roar, "Is everybody ready?"

Then, the First Family dispersed, with Mr. Obama going to work as his girls rushed to the front row of the Fergie show. Mrs. Obama danced with her mother, Marian Robinson, and her starstruck daughters, who managed to sing nearly every word to "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Glamorous. Fergie's new husband, Josh Duhamel, scoped the scene in a dapper suit and sunglasses.

Fergie, 34, told People exclusively afterwards, "The whole Obama family is so down to earth. My family was with me and had the honor of getting to chat with them, as well. It was a special moment in time as I got to see Michelle, Malia, and Sasha dancing and singing with me to my songs!"

Pic of the Day: "Waxed" First Lady

A new wax replica of Michelle Obama was unveiled at Madame Tussaud's in D.C. this week.

Michelle Obama Denies Pregnancy Rumors

Michelle Obama's super-toned (and often exposed) arms have caused quite a stir. Now so has her stomach.

When people speculated the First Lady had a "baby bump," she sat down with Oprah Winfrey to clarify.

"I was like 'baby bump?' As hard as I work on my abs," Obama, 44, says in the April issue of O Magazine. "Here's the scoop: Not pregnant. And not planning on it."

Official Portrait of Michelle Obama Released

She's one of the most-photographed women of the year, so far – but the first "official" portrait of new First Lady Michelle Obama was released by the White House Friday.

The picture, taken in the Blue Room of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, was shot by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian.

In the photo, Obama wears a double strand of pearls – and a sleek sleeveless black dress, which shows off her famously toned arms.

The chic dress was designed by Project Runway judge Michael Kors, according to the New York Post.

People Cover Story: First Daughters' White House Rules

Their father may have run on a platform of change, but for First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama, the rules are the same in the White House as they were in their home in Chicago, People reports in its new cover story, on sale Friday.

Start with the girls' chores. They're still making their own beds, cleaning their rooms and clearing their dishes. And even with their grandmother, Marian Robinson, 71, staying in a third-floor guest room to help out, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, must show responsibility.

Their mother, Michelle Obama, has asked the White House staff not to do too much. "People want to make your life easy, and when you have small kids – I've explained this to the staff – they don't need their lives to be easy. They're kids," she says.

The girls do have roaming privileges all around the historic mansion and can pop into the Oval Office whenever they want. "I've tried to encourage them to feel like this whole place is their home," Mrs. Obama tells People. "We actually had this conversation – just let us know where you're going."

For more on White House life, including family games, dinner-table conversations and new bedtime-reading habits, pick up this week's People, on newsstands Friday.