by Sasha Reddy
If you’re a fan of interior design, DIY projects, or holiday décor, you’ve probably spent some time watching HGTV. This past holiday season, viewers may have noticed a familiar face among the volunteers featured in the network’s annual White House Christmas special. That face belonged to Diane Siebold, a longtime HAC field hockey coach, who recently spent three intense, unforgettable days helping decorate the White House for the holidays.
For Diane, the experience was equal parts honor, hard work, and holiday magic. Thousands of applications are sent annually by Americans eager for the chance to help decorate the People’s House – one of the nation’s most esteemed traditions. Diane first learned about the opportunity through a friend and former co-worker from her days in the floral department at ACME. With some encouragement, Diane decided to apply in August 2025.
Of the 12,000+ applications received, Diane’s was among the 145 accepted two months later. “I can’t believe I was chosen,” she says. “It really was an honor and a privilege to be there.”
The commitment was significant. Though breakfasts and lunches are provided, volunteers are not paid for their time, and all travel and lodging expenses are their own responsibility. Diane even had to spend her Thanksgiving trekking south to Washington, D.C.. “While everybody here was eating, I was on a train down there, and I had a salad in the hotel bar all by myself,” she recalls.
The next morning began early. Diane reported to the hotel lobby at 6:30 a.m. to sign final paperwork before heading to the White House, where she would join volunteers from across the country and beyond. Participants ranged from 19 to 76 years old and came from places as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and even Guam.
Before she could lift a single ornament, Diane had to clear extensive security checks. Volunteers completed background screenings in advance and were required to present passports upon arrival. Each day included metal detectors, bomb-sniffing dogs, and multiple layers of Secret Service presence. “No phones were allowed on the floor at all while we were working,” Diane says. “And there’s Secret Service everywhere.”
The White House is more than just a workplace and residence; it also serves as a museum and national landmark. Much of the decor is exceptionally delicate, and the furniture is antique. Because of this, the volunteers weren’t allowed to just set down tools on any random surface. Boxes had to be pulled away from the walls to avoid scuffing the wallpaper, and nothing was allowed to touch the drapes, either. “They were real particular about things like that,” Diane says. “Make sure nothing’s touching anything.”
“No phones were allowed on the floor at all while we were working. And there’s Secret Service everywhere.”
Despite the intensity of the environment, Diane was struck by the volunteers’ shared sense of purpose. “Everybody is there because they’re honored to be working in the White House,” she explains. “So, whether you’re a democrat or republican, we all work together as a team, and nothing was ever mentioned about politics.”
The work itself was meticulous. Five volunteer teams, each led by a captain, were assigned different areas of the White House. Diane was part of the Glow Team, responsible for the Grand Lobby, the Cross Hall, and the building’s front exterior. Her tasks included filling large pots flanking the front entrance with faux amaryllis and ilex, hanging garland along the grand staircase, and meticulously lighting and decorating all 29 trees of varying heights in the Grand Lobby.
“Every tree had to be lit a certain way,” Diane says. “And they’re very particular about what they do.” The process reminded her of Longwood Gardens, where she also volunteers regularly. At Longwood, holiday lights are wrapped from the base of each branch, out to the tip, then back to the base, for every branch of every tree. At the People’s House, the method was the same. If the lights were too tight, a lighting expert would intervene. “She shakes her head and says, ‘Do it over,’” Diane laughs.
One of the most surprising aspects of the experience was the sheer amount of counting required. The 29 trees lining the Grand Lobby ranged from four to 16 feet tall. To evenly distribute ornaments among the different trees, Diane and her fellow team members first counted every bobble and floral available, then calculated how many of each type of decoration should adorn each tree. “[My captain] wanted to know the quantity of the 10-inch balls, the 8-inch balls, how many hydrangeas there were…” Diane explains.
Once quantities were finalized, Diane took charge of organizing and labeling boxes of decorations, ensuring volunteers had exactly what they needed for each tree. All that hard work would quickly be undone, though. During lunch that same day, members of the National Parks Service arrived to water the trees. “They move all the trees, they move all the boxes,” Diane recalls. “So now nobody knows what goes where…. I almost cried when I saw them doing that.” Problem-solving and patience eventually prevailed, and the volunteers were able to get everything reorganized and back on track.
Diane also spent hours wiring battery-operated candle tapers to tree branches – a painstaking but necessary task in a public museum space. “Everybody wants a little souvenir from the White House,” she explains, “so we have to wire everything on, which is very time-consuming.”
While in D.C., Diane also got the chance to take a trolley tour and see the many famous monuments lit up at night. They saw the FDR memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial, and other historic landmarks.
Between sap-covered hands, long hours, and constant movement, Diane logged as many as 16,000 steps in a single day. “It was a challenge,” she says. “I’m glad I was in good shape from the HAC to handle this.”
Diane’s apron, “Team Glow” lanyard, commemorative booklet, and thank-you card from the First Lady.
While the work was demanding, the setting was unforgettable. Breakfast and lunch were served daily in the State Dining Room – the same space used to host foreign dignitaries. “We ate in the same room where the Prime Minister of Japan was recently given her reception,” Diane says. “It’s right under the watchful eyes of Abraham Lincoln.” Through each 10 to 12-hour day, Diane never lost appreciation for the rare opportunity she’d been granted.
Each room was decorated according to a theme chosen by the First Lady. The East Room honored the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with red, white, and blue décor and golden eagle toppers. The Green Room celebrated creativity and play through paper chains, domino villages, and hand-assembled Lego blocks. The Blue Room featured the official White House Christmas Tree, adorned with ornaments representing each state’s flower and bird to honor fallen service members and Gold Star families. In the Red Room, blue butterflies symbolized the First Lady’s Fostering the Future initiative. “I had doubts in the beginning,” Diane admits, “but it turned out beautiful.”
And the HGTV cameras were everywhere. “You could barely turn around without bumping into a cameraman,” Diane recalls.
That Sunday, November 30th, the volunteers moved at record speed to tidy the supplies, remove all the tarps that had protected the floors, and finish the final details before the President and First Lady arrived home. On Monday, December 1st, a formal reception ensued to thank the volunteers. Guests were welcomed by Marines in dress blues and music from the Marine Band.
“The best of America was there, just saying ‘Good morning, merry Christmas, welcome to the White House,’” Diane says. “Couldn’t be nicer.”
Champagne glasses were handed out to guests as volunteers entered. The First Lady even personally thanked the group, gifting each individual with a commemorative booklet and other goodies.
Everybody is there because they’re honored to be working in the White House. So, whether you’re a democrat or republican, we all work together as a team.
Looking back, Diane describes the experience as exhausting, rewarding, and truly once-in-a-lifetime. “It was hard, it was fun, it was exciting, tedious – everything you want in life,” she says. Though she’s not sure she’d do it again, she’s grateful she did it once.
“It’s something to tell the grandkids about,” she adds with a smile.
For HAC members who know Diane as a dedicated coach on the field, her White House adventure offers a glimpse of the same qualities she brings every day: teamwork, resilience, creativity, and a willingness to rise to the challenge, even when it means spending Thanksgiving on a train, armed with nothing but holiday spirit.
