Karla Deak-Ward stands at the doorway of the Blue Room at the White House where she and her team of volunteers decorated the Gold Star Families Christmas tree. (Photo Provided)

LOWER SALEM — A Lower Salem area woman who enjoys decorating for the holidays decorated a White House Christmas tree over Thanksgiving.

Karla Deak-Ward was on a team that decorated the evergreen in the Blue Room of the White House where the Gold Star Family Christmas tree was placed.

“It was an amazing, amazing experience,” she said.

Deak-Ward’s husband, Gary, submitted her application to be among the decorators for 2025. She learned about two months ago that out of more than 12,000 applications, she was among the roughly 150 to be chosen.

“I was very surprised,” she said. “It was a great honor to be chosen.”

The Gold Star Families Christmas tree in the Blue Room is an 18-foot evergreen from Michigan. Karla Deak-Ward was on the team, Team Twinkle and Harmony, that decorated the tree that held ornaments representing the official bird and flower of every state and territory. (Photo Provided)

The Gold Star Families tree is an 18-foot concolor fir from Sidney, Mich., according to the White House. It was decorated with gold stars and ornaments representing the official bird and flower of every state and territory and other festive accouterments of the season.

The tree didn’t have a piney fragrance, but smelled like oranges, Deak-Ward said.

The state ornaments with the flowers and trees were made in Florida, she said. Lights can be placed in the bulb for illumination, she said.

“They were absolutely gorgeous,” Deak-Ward said.

Volunteers were assigned to teams that worked on the decorations, bows, lights and other items to be placed on the trees, she said. She was on Team Twinkle and Harmony.

Gary Ward and his wife Karla Deak-Ward at the White House where she was a volunteer to decorate Christmas trees. (Photo Provided)

More than 50 Christmas trees were decorated this year in the White House. The theme is Home Is Where the Heart Is.

The Gold Star Tree usually is in the West Wing of the White House, however, it was moved to the Blue Room because of the construction of the new ballroom, Deak-Ward said. President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in June 1886 in the Blue Room, the only marriage of a president in the White House.

Her husband Gary also went to Washington, but didn’t participate in the decorating, Deak-Ward said. They went on a tour of the White House and a reception for volunteers where Melania Trump, the president’s wife, spoke, Deak-Ward said.

Deak-Ward said she would jump at the chance if the opportunity ever came again. Her holiday decorating skills have been honed over the years.

“I’ve always enjoyed decorating for the holidays,” Deak-Ward, who has six children, said. “As a mom of six. I’ve always went over the top for Christmas.”

Karla Deak-Ward in front of the Lincoln Fireplace at the White House. She was among the 150 volunteers chosen to decorate White House Christmas trees this year. Deak-Ward decorated the Gold Star Families Tree in the Blue Room. (Photo Provided)

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.