White House resumes holiday festivities after 2021’s pandemic pause

The White House is once again bustling with guests, revelers and holiday activity in a sign of how the Biden administration views the state of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted hundreds of guests at the White House this week for an official state visit from French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. In the coming weeks, hundreds more guests will filter in and out of White House holiday parties.

Both state visits and the annual holiday gatherings were paused last year as the omicron variant of COVID-19 caused a spike in cases and serious illness around the country. The return of both fixtures signals the White House believes the country is in a much better position to keep cases and deaths at bay this winter.