WASHINGTON - Marine Corps pianist Robert Boguslaw smiled as he tickled the ivories of a grand piano Wednesday, his rendition of "I'll be Home for Christmas" filling the ornamented entrance hall of the White House.

"This is one of the best jobs on the planet," said Boguslaw, performing for the first bunch of holiday guests to visit the White House this season. As he played, he admired his instrument - a Steinway concert piano with gilt eagle supports given to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938. "You can't find another in the world like this."

Wearing the red jacket with gold buttons of the Marine Corps band, Boguslaw transitioned into "Silver Bells" - City sidewalks, busy sidewalks - one of more than 40 carols he'll play again and again during some of the first family's more than two dozen holiday parties.

First lady Laura Bush opened the White House to a group of reporters Wednesday, revealing hallways and sitting rooms hung with hundreds of boxwood wreaths, trees festooned with fresh flowers and stairways draped with endless strands of garland entwined with gold and lime ribbon.

"Welcome to the White House during the holiday season," said the first lady, standing beside a banquet table covered with pedestals of pink tulips and green pears and platters of ham, smoked salmon and cheese. "This is always a very, very happy time here at the White House."

Since the day after Thanksgiving, countless staffers and volunteers have worked to bring the sparkle and cheer to the first family's home.

Electricians wrapped 50 strings of white lights around the 18-foot Fraser fir in the Blue Room, while volunteers adorned the tree with crystal garland and fresh lilies that have to be replaced every few days.

"We have to remove the chandelier from the Blue Room to be able to put the tree up because it's so large," Bush said.

Meanwhile, a dozen black-tie waiters weaved their way through the State Dining Room, offering champagne glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice and seltzer to reporters lingering around the desert table's truffles and peach crisp.

"We want to showcase the best in American food," said new executive chef Cristeta Comerford, the first woman to don the hat of the White House's top chef.

Nearly 55,000 guests will roam the White House's first floor this holiday season, snapping photos and staring at the presidential portraits hanging throughout the mansion: Ronald Reagan in a red-and-blue striped tie; John Kennedy, his arms folded across his chest, his head bowed in thought.

The current first family has brought its own traditions to the White House.

Barney, the Bushes' Scottish Terrier, trots throughout many of the family's holiday traditions. An artist included the First Dog in a depiction of the White House's snowy South Lawn, while pastry chefs bake canine-shaped sugar cookies.

The first lady is dividing her gift buying between store visits and online shopping. But if the president has a wish list, he hasn't told his wife.

"(Laura Bush) asked the president last night what he wanted," said Susan Whitson, the first lady's press secretary. The president responded, "Maybe a sweater or something."

Contact Raam Wong at r-wong@northwestern.edu.