White House holiday baking and decorating book

NEW YORK -- It's less than a week from Christmas and you may be looking for some recipes or decorating tips to work on this weekend.

How about modeling some after the White House and first ladies through the years?

"Decorating the White House really was a pinch me moment, I couldn't believe I was there," said Coleen Christian Burke, author.

"President Bush actually came through at the end of the second day and gave us a pep talk, he said get moving," Burke said.

Just some of the inside stories you'll find in her book, "Christmas with the First Ladies".

From tender moments, to a long held tradition by the Clinton's.

"Every Christmas Eve they would bake cookies together in the White House," Burke said.

The book shares the recipe to Hillary's Out of this World, Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Michelle Obama's favorite are ginger crinkles along with the men, they are something you can make at home with your kids but no eating allowed, they will last forever because the recipe uses glue, with good reason.

"They used to hang actual gingerbread men on the trees and they were finding that as visitors went by the tree they were helping themselves to a snack," Burke said.

You can also follow in the footsteps of Jackie O, she hung miniature jewelry boxes on her trees and you can make these carbon copies at home.

Colleen says each first lady has her own theme, and this year Mrs. Obama's "Joy to All" Nancy Reagan had celebrity Santas stop by and went with a glitzy childlike feeling.

"Lots of gold snowflakes, one year teddy bears in the White House," Burke said.

It's a rare glimpse at magical times inside one of the most well known homes on earth.

"You can look back in time and you see the White House as a real home and it's really special," Burke said.

Michelle Obama's Ginger CRINKLES