“Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special” will be light on news, but heavy on holiday cuteness, if the excerpts are any indication.
Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions just released a few choice bits of her exclusive interview.
She tells viewers in a preview:
“The President gave himself a grade. This was not about grilling the President, this was really about me wanting to come and experience Christmas at the White House – their first Christmas with them. So I wasn’t here to grill him, I was curious as to what he thought he had done, what kind of job he thought he had done and ask him for his grade. You’ll see what the grade is. The grade might surprise you.”
(Obama graded himself as “passing” after he hit his first 100 days mark.)
Winfrey says of her special, which airs Sunday at 10 p.m.:
From the very first day they moved into the White House, I started calling Robert Gibbs and asking not for the first interview because number one, I didn’t think I was going to get the first interview for the first 100 days – but I wanted an opportunity to sit down with them in a comfortable setting that all of America would be familiar and relate to. So I started asking when they first moved in to do a Christmas Special because I wanted to be at the White House during Christmas time and to experience their first Christmas in the White House. So this has been in the making for a very, very long time.
Winfrey details the 27 Christmas trees in the White House and holiday decor and says she interviewed Obama in the never-before-filmed-in green room, “where Thomas Jefferson used to have lunch.”
Among the highlights, Obama tells Oprah that when it comes to gifts, “I give nicer stuff than I get.”
He also said his favorite gift as a kid was a 10-speed bike, and opened up a bit about his father.
“I do remember the one time I met my father he was visiting during Christmas and he gave me a basketball and – the degree to which I came to love basketball – it wasn’t until much later in life that I realized, ‘Actually, he gave me that basketball.’ I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking up the sport as a kid who didn’t know his dad.”
Here’s a link to a short clip, and some excerpts, including some Bo Obama talk:
About gift-giving:
OW: Is there a greater pressure to give a good gift when you’re the President or can you get away with a lesser gift if you’re the President
First Lady: What are you gonna get me? You should feel pressure-
President Obama: I have given some good gifts – you get some nice stuff – here’s the general rule, I give nicer stuff than I get
OW: Really? First Lady: No way I gave you good gifts last year
President Obama: Absolutely – aw come on please. You know its like mother’s day and father’s day-
First Lady: We’re talking about Christmas, don’t become distracted…
President Obama: But that principle applies generally
The President and First Lady remember their favorite gifts as children:
OW: Do you remember what your favorite Christmas gift was as a child?
First Lady: Oh it was a doll house and it was a metal doll house with plastic furniture but it was and I remember I really didn’t know how to set up a house so I had all the furniture lined up along the walls as opposed to nestled around the fireplace, but I loved that little doll house
OW: Well now you get some practice here – goodness gracious. Doll house…I asked this question to some of my friends and they all said Easy Bake Oven. Did you have an Easy Bake Oven?
First Lady: Oh I did have an Easy Bake Oven but you know once you run out of the mix it’s like you’re done with it
OW: ((LAUGHS)) Yeah you’re done with that –
President Obama: You couldn’t get more mix?
OW: It doesn’t come with more mix, the Easy Bake Oven
President Obama: But can you order more mix?
First Lady: Nowadays it’s easy –
OW: Probably now you can go online and get more mix –
First Lady: When we were little – what you got – that’s what you got
OW: That’s what you got
First Lady: When it’s over, it’s over.
OW (to President Obama): Your favorite gift as a child?
President Obama: Well I got a bike one year and I think you know getting that first big kid 10 speed bike that’s always…
First Lady: Special
President Obama: …special. That’s always special. I remember that one. You know, I do remember the one time I met my father he was visiting during Christmas and he gave me a basketball and – the degree to which I came to love basketball – it wasn’t until much later in life that I realized, ‘Actually, he gave me that basketball.’ I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking up the sport as a kid who didn’t know his dad.
Bo’s Stocking:
OW: So who all has a stocking in this family?
First Lady:: Everyone. The President, the First Lady, Malia, Sasha and Bo.
OW: Bo has a stocking?
First Lady: Bo has a stocking. Of course he does.
OW: How lovely.
First Lady: Santa loves Bo too.
OW: Santa really loves Bo.
First Lady: He loves Bo. OW: Bo got a good home. I must say. First Lady: Bo’s got – right. ((THEY LAUGH)) OW: Bo got a good home. Bo did okay.
Quotes from Oprah:
OW: From the very first day they moved into the White House, I started calling Robert Gibbs and asking not for the first interview because number one, I didn’t think I was going to get the first interview for the first 100 days – but I wanted an opportunity to sit down with them in a comfortable setting that all of America would be familiar and relate to. So I started asking when they first moved in to do a Christmas Special because I wanted to be at the White House during Christmas time and to experience their first Christmas in the White House. So this has been in the making for a very, very long time.
OW: There are 27 trees and all the ornaments and all of the decorations and we were able to go to the green room, where Thomas Jefferson used to have lunch, and apparently they’ve not let anybody film in there before. But I got to interview the president in the green room, where Thomas Jefferson used to eat his lunch. So everywhere you move through this space, it’s filled with so much history that it’s pretty hard not to think about that as you’re walking through the halls.
OW: The President gave himself a grade. This was not about grilling the President, this was really about me wanting to come and experience Christmas at the White House – their first Christmas with them. So I wasn’t here to grill him, I was curious as to what he thought he had done, what kind of job he thought he had done and ask him for his grade. You’ll see what the grade is. The grade might surprise you.
