Monday Mashups: A White Christmas at the White House

Who saw this coming? Google recently teamed-up with the White House. Yes, the White House--to show you how the holidays are celebrated where the President and First Lady live. They're offering a peak of the 'White Christmas' and how the holidays are celebrated via a virtual reality tour. Between Google, the White House and a virtual reality, this is the ultimate mashup!

The virtual reality tour of the presidential abode shows the structure decked out in ornate Christmas trimmings, backed by a narration that explains the history of the White House during the holidays. Most of the virtual tour uses static imagery, but a few moments offer full motion video, including a cameo by President Barack Obama's favorite furry friend, Bo (our favorite part)! We love how this reminds us that even the leaders of this country like to share in the joy of the holidays.

The building's décor, assembled by a team of 89 volunteers, was accented by several special rooms decorated by fashion and event designers. Among the fashionistas, who were hand-picked by First Lady Michelle Obama, are the team from Opening Ceremony, Carolina Herrera, Kenzo and Duro Olowu. And among the event designers, best-of-the-best Rafanelli Events founder Bryan Rafanelli and his staff, including my former classmate Jess Morin, took on some of the grand décor like the larger-than-life toy soldiers and teddy bears.

This new tour of the White House was made possible using a 16-camera circular array from Google's Jump program and can be viewed either directly on YouTube or using Google Cardboard. Pretty impressive right? The White House has certainly devoured the details of the holidays! A special shout out to Opening Ceremony and Rafanelli Events for making it possible. We can't wait to see what else you produce in years to come!