There's no doubt that the White House sees its fair share of mail, especially during this time of the year. One letter addressed to First Lady Melania Trump, however stood out from the rest.
Candace Schumacher, a mother of two from South Dakota, penned her Christmas wish and sent it off not expecting much to come from it.
She has always loved Christmas and especially loves to spread joy by decorating.
The mother takes a particular interest in Christmas decor and has spent years decorating other people's homes both inside and out. She even had the opportunity to decorate the South Dakota Capitol.
Since she took such an interest in the tradition, she wanted to know who decorates the White House for Christmas, a job that always seemed overwhelming to her.
Surprised to learn that the First Lady is tasked with making every arrangement, she decided to pen a letter.
That's when a return letter from Melania Trump made its way to Schumacher's house, saying "her dream had just come true."
Sitting down to write, she didn't expect much to come of it.
"Schumacher penned letters to U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune of South Dakota and Rep. Kristi Noem, along with First Lady Melania Trump. The letters went unanswered for a long period of time before the good news finally came that she was being considered for the job."
So much time had gone by when she initially sent the letter, that she wasn't expecting a reply back, so she was flabbergasted when it finally arrived.
"There was no application or anything. I just said I was interested in decorating the White House," Schumacher said. "There was no response and my kids kept telling me it was such a long shot. If you want to do something, you have to go for it or else it's just a wish. You don't want any regrets. You have to see what you can do in life."
It wasn't until October that she received a letter that read, "From the Office of the First Lady of the United States." In utter disbelief, Candace opened the mail to find out she was invited to the White House to help decorate it for the Christmas season.
"I'm so humbled and grateful for this opportunity. Hundreds of thousands of people will be seeing this on TV and it's such an honor to represent Watertown and South Dakota as well," Schumacher said. "I'm proud for Watertown and South Dakota. I don't think another person from the state has ever done this before."
This was Candace's first trip to the Capitol, and it was no doubt a special one.
"Many of the details are being kept secret from the selected candidates," but they know that they will be divided into smaller groups and each will be responsible for a certain room in the White House.
But the trip that she had to fund for herself, was well worth the experience.
"Everything had to be put on a certain way, I mean the interior decorator that designed for the First Lady would go around and say, 'you know I think this needs to be redone,' and of course it is a really special building and you wanted the best," she said.
Candace and her group had the opportunity to decorate the Vermeil Room in the White House, which serves as a sitting room. The color scheme was of soft gold and green along with a donation of 1,600 gold pieces to use for decorating.
The theme of the White House was decided by Melania herself, with the help of her four florists.
"The President, Barron, and I are very excited for our first Christmas in the White House," she said in a statement. "As with many families across the country, holiday traditions are very important to us. I hope when visiting the People's House this year, visitors will get a sense of being home for the holidays. On behalf of my husband and Barron, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and joyous holiday season."
The theme this year is "Time-Honored Traditions" and it's a nod to 200 years of holiday traditions at the White House.
Candace hopes that her trip inspires others.
"A wish is something you don't pursue, dreams can come true and this was a dream. I had thought about it, I was really lucky to get it. Why? I don't know, I'm very humbled and honored to represent South Dakota," she said.
Source: Conservative Media / Shared / KSFY