The Bidens spent their last Halloween holiday. The first lady came dressed as a giant panda

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his wife, Jillwho dressed as a giant panda, trick-or-treated on the White House South Lawn for the last time Wednesday.

The First Lady participated in an exhibition at the National Zoo. announcement pandas will return to Washington earlier this year. They arrived in the capital of the country. in mid-October, and Jill Biden donned a panda costume on Wednesday as a “gesture of welcome,” the White House said.

Jill Biden added an educational theme to the event and called it “Hallo-Read” to encourage reading. She was teacher with 40 years of experience. Earlier Wednesday, she read a story about spooky pumpkins to a group of costumed children gathered on the lawn.

Later at sunset, she and the president went outside and spent about an hour handing out treats. Biden, wearing a suit and tie, tossed boxes of White House Hershey’s Kisses into children’s bags while the first lady handed out copies of “10 Spooky Pumpkins.”

Up to 8,000 people were expected to pass through the White House gates throughout the day, including students and children with military ties.

A large orange moon and a sign reading “Holy Reading at the White House” adorned the south façade of the Executive Mansion. The decorations also included cardboard cutouts of Willow. family cat who is rarely seen in public, and stacks of books. The door was decorated with giant pumpkins.

Biden abandoned his bid for re-election in July. He will leave his post in January.