INDIANAPOLIS — Katie Harrell and her family decorated her house in November, then spent Thanksgiving week in Washington D.C., decorating the White House .

"It was a labor of love," said Harrell. "It was a great opportunity.

Harrell was one of 145 volunteers from 47 states and U.S. territories selected from more than 12,000 applications.

"They actually did the math and said it's easier to get into Harvard," Harrell said.

The stay-at-home mom of three children who owns a small business asked the White House staff why she was chosen. Harrell said she was told it was the comments made by her husband, that decorating the White House would be a dream come true for his wife.

The decorating volunteers spent two days at an off-site location choosing what to put up.

"Picking boxes of ornaments

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