Washington - President Joe Biden and his wife Jill helped a local food kitchen prepare Thanksgiving meals for those in need before leaving town - just like millions of other Americans - to restore them in Massachusetts Family traditions for vacations on the small island of Nantucket.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff participated in an outing to DC Central Kitchen, which provides ready-made meals and cooking training.

Four people wearing aprons in the DC Central Kitchen put turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes and green beans into trays, ready to pack for DC residents in need.

Jill Biden started her holiday at the White House on Monday when she received the White House’s official Christmas tree-an 18 1/2-foot Fraser Fir, which she cut from a farm in North Carolina. She called it "very Pretty". This tree is destined to be the performer of the White House Christmas-Biden's first presidential blue room.

Later on Monday, the first lady also visited the Army Fort Bragg in North Carolina with the president to celebrate Thanksgiving prematurely with service personnel and their families.

The Bidens were still dating when they first visited Nantucket with Biden's sons Bo and Hunt in the mid-1970s. The first lady wrote in her memoir that the couple was looking for a way to choose which family to spend Thanksgiving with.

Biden was a US senator at the time, and his chief of staff suggested that they go to Nantucket.

"Although neither Joe nor I have been there, we think it sounds as good as any place," she wrote. So they packed a freezer with sandwiches and soda, put the boys in a station wagon, and drove six hours to Cape Town, where a ferry took them to the island.

The first lady wrote that Thanksgiving for "Nanatukt"-because their grandchildren called the island in their grandmother's "Nana" nickname play-became a family tradition for the next few decades, Although there are some exceptions.

Last fall, Biden put aside traditions for fear of COVID-19, when people were told to avoid traveling in groups and gathering indoors during the holidays. Instead, the then-president-elect hunkered down for Thanksgiving with just his wife, their daughter and her husband.

Since then, both the president and the first lady have received the main two doses of Pfizer vaccine, as well as the third booster shot recommended by public health officials to provide longer-lasting protection from the coronavirus.

Some of Biden's family members are in the White House this week. Hunter, his wife Melissa and their toddler son Bo watched the delivery of the official Christmas tree on Monday. Hunter's daughter Finnegan later appeared on one of the balconies, holding her younger brother Bo, and watching their grandparents head to North Carolina.

The White House did not say how Biden, who turned 79 last Saturday, plans to spend time in Nantucket.

In her memoirs, the first lady designated their favorite restaurant for lunch and said that they would gather on the cobblestone street on Friday night to see Santa Claus, watch the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and sing carols.

Biden attends Catholic Mass every weekend.

At a press conference on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended the president’s decision to leave Washington for a vacation. She said Thanksgiving “is a time to put politics aside, spend time with your loved ones and talk about your affairs.” She is grateful. . "

She also pointed out that Biden is president no matter where he is.

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