(WASHINGTON) — For the third year in a row, the first lady is playing Cupid.
President Joe Biden woke up at the White House on Tuesday to find his wife, once again, had the White House decorated overnight for Valentine’s Day.
This year’s annual “Valentine to the Country” features the handprints of military children from the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Drum, New York, which Biden visited two weeks ago, as part of her Joining Forces initiative to support military families.
Three large, hand-painted hearts sit on the White House North Lawn, one with a message to “Reach out with Open Hearts and Helping Hands this Valentine’s Day,” while the two other hearts flanking it feature the children’s handprints.
Wooden artwork in the shapes of the family’s first pets — cat, Willow, and German Shepherd, Commander — were also on display after their Valentine’s Day debut last year.
Artwork from the children of military families — or “heart-work,” as the White House is calling it — extended inside the White House to the East Wing, along with other heart-shaped, “love”-stamped decor.
Last year’s North Lawn decor featured a massive wooden heart inscribed with Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.” Inside the East Wing, the first lady displayed the “heart-work” of second-grade students in Washington. At one point, the president came out with a cup of coffee to enjoy the gift from his wife.
For the Biden’s first Valentine’s Day in the White House, the first lady decorated the North Lawn with three giant, hand-painted hearts that read “hope,” “unity” and “love.”
The first lady has called Valentine’s Day one of her favorite holidays.
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