Celebrating Christmas at the White House might seem like the perfect way to spend the holidays. One ISU faculty member got the chance to do so when first lady Laura Bush extended a personal invitation to help decorate the White House Christmas tree.

Robert Sunderman, assistant professor of design and technical theater, accompanied by his wife, Michele Dunne, gladly accepted the offer and headed to Washington, D.C., to grace the tree with a bit of Iowa tradition.

Thanks to Sunderman’s creativity, now hanging on the White House tree is a carefully crafted state bird of Iowa, the eastern goldfinch. “I always thought the goldfinch would make a good tree ornament because it’s so vibrant,” Sunderman says.

In recent years Sunderman has been asked by the Iowa Arts Council to design an ornament for the White House Christmas tree but has declined.

This year things were different.

Sunderman has made Christmas tree ornaments in the past, but he says this year he asked himself, “Why don’t I do this?”

Sunderman says he has been making Christmas ornaments for about 25 years. He makes many leaf-, star- and moon-shaped ornaments and abstract designs, which he gives away as gifts.

He says he didn’t think his goldfinch ornament would be picked when he submitted the design to the Iowa Arts Council.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity if it happened, but I didn’t expect it,” Sunderman says.

Sunderman fashioned the bird out of flat sheets of brass and manipulated the material with metal shaping hammers to give the bird a three-dimensional look. Wings with a 6-inch span were added separately, riveted onto the body with hand tools.

“I worked with brass because it was close to the same color as the real bird,” he says.

Artists from all 50 states were invited to create an ornament that fit with this year’s tree theme, “All Creatures Great and Small,” Sunderman says.

According to the White House Web site, www.whitehouse.gov, Christmas decorating themes are a tradition that began with Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. The first themed tree featured ornaments of characters from “The Nutcracker.”

The theme changes every year, giving the first lady an opportunity to decorate the White House according to her tastes. In a video on the Web site, Laura Bush says she settled on this year’s theme because it emphasizes “the majesty of creation.”

The White House tree — a live evergreen — stretched all the way to the top of the vaulted ceiling and was covered with decorations, Sunderman says.

All the handmade state birds placed on the tree, and gleaming gold and red balls, shining lights, and flowing gold beads all came together to create a “larger-than-life” Christmas scene, he says.

“Everyone was walking around like kids in a candy shop,” he says.

Sunderman says he was given an illustrated children’s book depicting the pets displayed in the White House Christmas decorations.

“There were papier-mƒch‚ models of the pets from past presidents around the White House,” Sunderman says. “There was everything from sheep to the Bush’s dogs and cat.”

Sunderman also told of two majestic eagles that adorned the serving tables at the reception.

“One was made of gold, and the other was made of pure chocolate,” he says.

Sunderman and Dunne brought along a gift to thank the first family for the chance to be guests in their home, presenting the book “Heroes Among Us,” written by Jane Cox, associate professor of music.

“We didn’t actually get to give it to the president,” Sunderman says. “The Secret Service took it from us and passed it on.”

The president didn’t make an appearance, but Sunderman says Laura Bush took the time to greet each artist personally and posed for individual pictures with everyone.

“She was very nice and made you feel like her guest — she took the time to stop and talk to you,” he says. “But I think she got tired of smiling.”

Roaming around the White House left a strong impression on Sunderman.

“It was just incredible to be in that place where so much history, so many important things happened,” he says. “It’s not an opportunity you get every day.”

Now back in Iowa and working on the next theater production, Sunderman can say everything he needs to say about D.C., the White House and Laura Bush quite simply.

“Grand,” he says.