Trumps launch holiday season. What is Mar-a-Lago like at Christmas?

• The holiday season has officially begun at the White House with the arrival of the Christmas tree and the presidential turkey pardon.
• President Trump and the first lady are scheduled to spend Thanksgiving in Palm Beach, Florida, at Mar-a-Lago.

The White House Christmas Tree has arrived. Two lucky turkeys have been pardoned by the president ahead of Thanksgiving. It is officially the holiday season for the first time in President Donald Trump's second term.

Trump's schedule shows he and first lady Melania Trump will be headed to Palm Beach, Florida, for Thanksgiving. On the holiday, he will participate in a call with service members.

Trump has been returning to Mar-a-Lago frequently for weekends since mid-October. In his first term, Trump also went to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas in his first term, except for the 2018 holiday when the government was shut down.

Melania Trump will unveil the White House Christmas design and decoration to the media on Dec. 1, but what does Christmas look like at Mar-a-Lago? Take a look:

Mar-a-Lago during the holidays: See photos

First lady Melania Trump hit holiday controversy in first term

Christmas at the White House brought controversy to the first lady in President Donald Trump's first term.

First, there were the red Christmas trees in 2018.

Then, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, author of the book "Melania and Me," secretly recorded conversations with Melania Trump complaining about her role promoting the White House at Christmas while being criticized for not doing more meaningful work, CNN reported in 2020.

"I'm working my (expletive) off with the Christmas stuff that, you know, who gives a (expletive) about Christmas stuff and decorations but I need to do it, right?" the first lady said in the recording. "And then I do it, and I say I'm working on Christmas and planning for Christmas ... And they say, 'What about the children that are separated?' Give me a f---ing break."

Wolkoff and the first lady were friends. Trump's first-term Justice Department sued Wolkoff over the tell-all memoir, but the lawsuit was dropped in 2021. In response to the recordings, the first lady's office said there was no way to know if the recordings were edited and accused Wolkoff of recording to "peddle herself and her salacious book."

Contributing: Maria Puente, Bryan Alexander, Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Bluesky andTikTok.