It was a festive day at the White House as President Joe Biden pardoned turkeys for Thanksgiving and First Lady Jill Biden received the White House Christmas Tree.

President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota.

On Monday, President Joe Biden pardoned two doomed-to-be-dinner turkeys at the White House in the long-standing traditional National Thanksgiving Turkey event in his last time as commander-in-chief.

Biden welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles.

In Washington, Biden ended his final turkey pardon on a wistful note. He and his wife, Jill, were heading to Staten Island for a Friendsgiving with members of the Coast Guard, in memory of their late son. He urged the country to hold in their hearts all the families with empty seats at the table this season.

As President Joe Biden pardons his last two turkeys during his term in office, the birds will spend their days at a center in Minnesota. Biden pardoned Peach and Blossom on Monday from their Thanksgiving duties.

President Biden is set to pardon two turkeys from Minnesota on Monday, in keeping with the annual White House turkey pardon tradition. It will be Mr. Biden's final turkey pardon as president, before President-elect Donald Trump is tasked with keeping up the tradition.