FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA LIGHTS UP THE DECEMBER/JANUARY COVER OF LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL

First Lady Michelle Obama lights up the December/January cover of Ladies’ Home Journal. The First Lady speaks about family holiday traditions, including one that began during her childhood.

“Our extended family was so large, people couldn’t really afford to buy gifts for everyone. So a couple of my aunts would go out and purchase small gifts,” she said. “They would put them in a basket and in order to get a gift you had to perform. You could tell a joke, read a poem, do a backflip – anything counted. It’s a tradition that we’ve carried on today.”

“I’ll tell my kids, think of three things that you want. And it turns out they usually don’t have much on their lists, because they understand that anything they need they already have,” the first lady explained. “The kids are not in the habit of viewing Christmas as a time for getting gifts. It’s about spending time with family and gathering with friends.” Each year, volunteers converge on the White House to decorate dozens of Christmas trees, but Malia and Sasha like to decorate one themselves.

“Usually it’s the tree in the Yellow Oval Room. We’ll have hot chocolate, light a fire no matter what the weather is, get out a basket of decorations, and then I’ll put on the first holiday music of the season,” Obama said. “I have a phenomenal playlist that includes, of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as James Taylor, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, and Nat King Cole. The kids tease me that they know it’s Christmas when I pull out my playlist.”

Courtesy of Ladies Home Journal