At the Governor’s Mansion, a celebration of the holiday season

Gov. Mike Dunleavy welcomed crowds into his official residence on Tuesday for the annual holiday open house, doing what politicians do: shaking hands, posing for pictures and holding babies. 

“Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,” he told reporters before the doors opened to the public. 

And, as always, there were plenty of cookies to share: 21,350 of ‘em in all.

Kenny Gallahorn, an equipment operator originally from Kotzebue, complimented the spread.

“Anything chocolate’s my favorite,” he said. 

And he wasn’t the only one enthralled by the array of baked goods.

“The Russian tea cookies are to die for,” said Jai Ribao, a Juneauite visiting the Governor’s Mansion for the first time. 

“This is great. I walk past this mansion every day during work hours at break time. So it’s awesome I get to finally get to do this,” he said.

But Ribao wasn’t just there for the cookies. Nor the 79 pounds of toffee and brittle, 57 pounds of chocolate nor 50 pounds of fudge. 

He was there for the show.

“My son’s … playing the violin in the performance. So I’m here for that, here to support,” he said.

And a show it was. A gaggle of young musicians from the local youth music program Juneau Alaska Music Matters took some time to jam, playing classics like “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star” and “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” – plus, of course, the state song, “Alaska’s Flag.” 

Alaska’s First Lady, Rose Dunleavy, was a fan.

“It’s just nice to see everyone from Juneau again,” she said. “It’s just wonderful. Beautiful house, beautiful music, beautiful people – it’s just wonderful.”

Her husband took a moment to look ahead to 2024. He pointed to a few goals: among them, improving education and lowering the cost of living.

“We’re looking forward to a great year,” he said. “It’s a lot of turmoil in the world, but here in Alaska, I think we’re incredibly lucky. So, merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy New Year,” the governor said.