HGTV Sets 'White House Christmas 2018' Special

HGTV is getting into the holiday spirit by traveling to the White House for the White House Christmas 2018 special, looking at the ornate decorations at President Donald Trump's residence, with Kitchen Crashers host Alison Victoria hosting.

White House Christmas 2018 will debut on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. ET. Victoria will take viewers on an exclusive room-by-room tour of the White House's transformation into a holiday wonderland.

This year's theme is "American Treasures," which brings the history of the U.S. alive with a holiday theme. For example, the Blue Room tree has more than 500 feet of blue velvet ribbon, with every state and territory name embroidered in gold.

Victoria interviewed volunteers and even helped out with the decorations herself. Viewers will see her spray edible snow on the White House gingerbread replica.

Since the White House's Christmas decor was unveiled earlier this week, it has been the subject of widespread derision on social media. Some even compared the red Christmas trees to Gilead, the dystopian society in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

During a town hall at Lynchburg University in Virginia, First Lady Melania Trump defended her choices.

"We are in 21st century and everybody has a different taste. I think they look fantastic," the First Lady said Wednesday. "I hope everybody will come over and visit it. In real life, they look even more beautiful. You are all welcome to visit the White House, the people's house."

The White House said the red trees represented the red stripes in the presidential seal.

"The choice of red is an extension of the pales, or stripes, found in the presidential seal designed by our Founding Fathers," the administration said in a statement. "It's a symbol of valor and bravery."

Melania Trump also gave Fox & Friends a tour of the decorations, and said the red represents "bravery, heart and patriotism."

The red trees were designed by Vickie Wenstrup, an Ohio florist. She was one of dozens of decorators who were picked to help get the White House in a festive mood.

"It's something I've always wanted to do," Westrup told WCPO. "I just never dreamed I would do it or get to do it."

Aside from White House Christmas, HGTV viewers can also see Victoria as the host of Windy City Rehab. The new series, in which Victoria tries to find buyers for her upscale renovation projects, debuts on Tuesday, Jan. 1 at 9 p.m. ET. The real estate developer is also co-hosting HGTV Dream Home 2019, which airs at 8 p.m. ET on the same night.

Photo credit: Instagram/Alison Victoria