ANDERSONVILLE, Ga. — The Andersonville National Historic Site ornament is prominently displayed on this year’s official White House Christmas tree. The tree is the centerpiece of elaborate decorations celebrating the theme “Holiday in the National Parks.”

“It is an amazing honor for the National Park Service to be selected as the theme for the White House holiday decorations by the President and Mrs. Bush,” said National Park Service director Mary A. Bomar.

“Mrs. Bush is the best champion for our national parks and the beautiful decorations in each state room, showcase the natural and historic treasures found in parks throughout the country,” she continued.

Lois Theiss, a renowned local artist from Ellavile, was asked by Andersonville National Historic Site to paint an ornament to represent the park. Since Andersonville National Historic Site is the home of the National Prisoner of War Museum (POW), Theiss chose to incorporate the Star and Barbed wire that is associated with the POW experience. Recently, Theiss and her husband, Ellavile mayor David Theiss, flew to Washington, D.C. to attend a reception at the White House. Also attending were other artists who painted ornaments representing 347 National Parks throughout the country.

The holiday displays incorporate the wide variety of natural, cultural and recreational features preserved by the National Park Service. Models of icons such as Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Statue if Liberty share space with paintings of scenic vistas from Grand Canyon, Zion and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Holiday garlands intertwined with park objects including seashells, pine cones and gold aspen leaves add to each room’s festive feel.

A highlight of the decorations is a scaled-down, but architecturally accurate, gingerbread reproduction of the south view of the White House, a unit of the National Park Service. The edible masterpiece includes Bush family pets Barney, Miss Beazley and Willie frolicking on the lawn with moose, elk, raccoons and other animals found in national parks.

“National Parks commemorate the people, places and events that define the American experience,” said secretary of the interior Dirk Kempthorne.

“I am so appreciative of President Bush’s efforts to recognize the important role of national parks in American society. Our country will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 and the President has been instrumental in establishing the National Park Centennial Initiative to prepare the parks for the next century,” he continued.