Michelle Obama

As the Obamas say goodbye, they’re busier on the campaign trail than Hillary Clinton

‘We as decent human beings can come together and declare that enough is enough,’ First Lady says, addressing lewd comments

They’ve come a long way since 2008 when Barack Obama called her ‘likeable enough’ and Hillary Clinton described him as ‘unqualified’

Amidst celebration of the first woman nominee for president, hope for all that comes next

Watch the First Lady of the United States address the Democratic National Convention

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Jennifer Lawrence in coral, Sofia Vergara in emerald and the First Lady wears red

‘This is my mid-life crisis—bangs.’

When you arrive at a White House holiday party, there is a long security line out in the cold, followed by two ID checks in heated tents.

But before you even make it to the x-ray machine, Secret Service agents ask you to stop and stand “motionless” in front of a wall.  There is no visible machine, no sound, no evidence millimetre wave detectors or special lasers.

“What kind of scan is this?” I ask.

“It’s a dogscan.”

“A what?”

“A dog scan… D-O-G.”

There is, apparently, a specially-trained canine sitting behind a screen, sniffing out danger — or in my case, getting a nose full of evidence of a cat person. And it’s not the last canine we’ll encounter inside the White House, richly decked out for the holidays.

The official theme of this year’s decorations – which include no fewer than 54 Christmas trees — is “Gather Around: Stories of the Season.” But let’s face it, the real theme are the Obamas’ Portuguese Water Dogs: Bo, and his little sister, Sunny.

Some 90,000 visitors are expected during the holiday season. They enter through the East Colonnade, where there is a coat check, and decorations dedicated to military families. There is a tree dedicated to families who have lost loved ones, with ornaments placed by “Gold Star families” and a station where visitors are encourage to write postcards to troops service abroad over the holidays to thank them for their service – and to pledge volunteer hours to give back. (The holiday decorations themselves are the work of 83 volunteers, many of them military families — and many ornaments made by kids who live on military bases.)

Recipe: Smile, make a duck face and share on social media