Watch the West Wing Week here.

Here’s a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

#My2k: This week, President Obama called on the American people to speak out in favor of keeping taxes low on the middle class. He explained:

If Congress does nothing, every family in America will see their taxes automatically go up at the beginning of next year. A typical middle-class family of four would see its income taxes go up by $2,200. That's $2,200 out of people's pockets. That means less money for buying groceries, less money for filling prescriptions, less money for buying diapers. It means a tougher choice between paying the rent and paying tuition. And middle-class families just can’t afford that right now.

The President asked the American people to speak loudly by sharing what $2,000 means to them online on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #My2k. Here's how you can get involved: 

• Join the conversation and share your story
• Read what others are saying about what $2,000 means to them
• Watch the President’s full remarks here

Holidays at the White House: Earlier this week, the First Lady previewed the 2012 White House holiday decorations, showcasing this year’s theme: “Joy to All.” The decorations embrace several beloved White House traditions, including 54 decorated trees throughout the residence and a White House gingerbread house. The First Lady explained that this year’s theme “celebrated the many joys of the holiday season: the joy of giving and service to others; the joy of sharing our blessings with one another; and, of course, the joy of welcoming friends and family as guests into our home over these next several weeks.”

• Watch Bo Inspect the 2012 White House Holiday Decorations
• Read First Lady Michelle Obama Receives the 2012 White House Christmas Tree
• Visit WhiteHouse.gov/holidays

President Obama Welcomes Mexico President-Elect: On Tuesday, President Obama welcomed President-elect of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto to the Oval Office. They discussed the close relationship between Mexico and the United States, and the President noted that President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto’s reform agenda is one that Americans will watch closely.

President Barack Obama examines a K'NEX rollercoaster with Michael Araten, President and CEO of K'NEX and Rodon Group, right, during a tour of the company in Hatfield, Pa., Nov. 30, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Today, President Obama spoke at a toy factory in Hatfield, Pennsylvania about extending tax cuts for middle-class families.

The Rodon Group, a third-generation family owned business, manufactures Tinkertoy and K’NEX building sets. The company depends on the many Americans who buy gifts for family and friends during the holiday season.

But, if Congress doesn’t act before the end of the year, every family in America will see their income taxes automatically go up on January 1, President Obama said.

 A typical middle-class family of four would see their income taxes go up by about $2,200. That’s for a typical family -- it would be more for some folks. That’s money a lot of families just can’t afford to lose. That’s less money to buy gas, less money to buy groceries. In some cases, it means tougher choices between paying the rent and saving for college. It means less money to buy more K’NEX.

“And when folks are buying fewer clothes, or cars, or toys, that’s not good for our businesses; it’s not good for our economy; it’s not good for employment,” President Obama explained.

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the National Christmas Tree arrived at the White House and holiday decorating got underway, while the President marked Small Business Saturday, and met with leaders of businesses large and small to discuss the importance of avoiding a middle class tax hike next year. He also welcomed the President-Elect of Mexico, his Cabinet, his science and technology council, and the 2012 American Nobel Laureates.

Today, Vice President Joe Biden visited a newly opened Costco in Washington, DC. After picking out a few Christmas gifts and other items, he talked about the importance of extending tax cuts for middle-class families.

Vice President Joe Biden picks out children's books at the newly opened Costco store in Washington, D.C., Nov. 29, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

“All the people you meet in here today and you see, these are hardworking folks who don't need to see their taxes go up,” he said.

But, if Congress doesn’t take action before the end of the year, the typical middle-class family will pay about $2,200 more in taxes starting in 2013.

“And so I think it’s important Congress acts now -- I mean right now,” Vice President Biden said. “All it has to do is take a single vote to extend the middle-class tax cut.”

Yesterday marked the launch of Entrepreneur Pathways, an online resource center that gives immigrant entrepreneurs an intuitive way to navigate opportunities to start and grow a business in the United States. This new resource was announced during a visit to MIT’s entrepreneurship center by Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Federal agency responsible for administering visa programs.

Immigrant entrepreneurs have always made extraordinary contributions to our Nation’s economic growth and competitiveness, creating jobs and new businesses all across the country. Immigrants started 25 percent of the highest-growth companies in America, including iconic success stories like Intel, Google, Yahoo, and eBay, which together employ an estimated 220,000 people within the United States.

President Obama is committed to attracting the world’s best and brightest entrepreneurs to start the next great companies here in the United States, and Entrepreneur Pathways is an important and concrete next step to facilitating that. For example, imagine that an entrepreneur from another country participates in a startup mentorship program in the United States, raises a first round of funding from investors, and wants to stay here to grow the company and hire more people.  Entrepreneur Pathways explains, in plain English, which existing visa categories might be available to that entrepreneur under current law, and what evidence would be necessary to demonstrate eligibility.

Yesterday, President Obama called on Americans to speak out in favor of keeping taxes low on the middle class. Some took their voices to Twitter and Facebook, and tens of thousands of people wrote in to tell the White House what $2,000 means to their families.

These stories are moving and powerful, and we're going to start sharing some of the best of them -- because real people have to be part of this debate.

Here's what Americans from all over the country told us that $2,000 meant to them:

Crystal, Alabama -- That money would be two house payments. Or three car payments. It would pay for my medication for a year.

Bryan, Michigan -- I'm a small market farmer in northern Michigan. $2000 in additional taxes would mean that we may not be able to buy the two greenhouses that we need to extend our short growing season.

Colby, Mississippi -- $2,000 would allow me to pay off the student loan debt I have incurred to go to college. I am a first generation college graduate currently pursuing a Masters of Taxation degree.

Ruby, Illinois -- With 2 young adults in college, $2,000 is not small change but the difference in having money to pay the mortgage, college tuition, books. Middle class families cannot be held hostage by partisan politics, obstruction in Washington.

Cise, Washington -- A whole year's worth of diapers for my daughter and my gas to commute to work. That is what $2,000 means to me & my family.

Jaime, Arkansas -- $2000 means a hot school lunch to my kids. It means propane in our tank for the whole winter season. It means badly needed dental work for my husband. It means insurance for our vehicles. It means payments on my student loans.

Sheri, Arizona -- $2,000 to me is the January mortgage payment, February mortgage payment, March car payment.

Anne, Pennsylvania -- Groceries on my table for four months. Heating my home for a year. Two mortgage payments.

Learn more

• Extending the middle class tax cuts is the right thing to do. 
• Read President Obama's message to the White House email list. 
• See what people are saying on Twitter: What $2,000 Means to Me.

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with children of military families in the Green Room of the White House during the Christmas holiday press preview, Nov. 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The theme of the 2012 White House Holiday decorations is "Joy to All".  

The custom of selecting an official holiday theme began in the 1960s when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy created a nutcracker-themed Christmas for her daughter Caroline. And in welcoming a crowd of military families who were the first of more than 90,000 anticipated visitors, First Lady Michelle Obama explained that this year's theme "celebrates the many joys of the holiday seasons: the joy of giving and service to others; the joy of sharing our blessings with one another; and, of course, the joy of welcoming our friends and families as guests into our homes over these next several weeks." 

The 2012 decorations embrace several beloved White House traditions: There are 54 decorated trees throughout the residence, and four of them on display in the Grand Foyer are trimmed with ornaments that pay tribute to the holiday legacies of former First Ladies dating back to Mrs. Kennedy, including some original ornaments from years past. 

Two of the rooms pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces and their families. The walls of the East Landing are adorned with wreaths crafted with red, white, and blue yarn, and a tree decorated with red, white and blue ornaments completes the space. The official White House Christmas tree, which stands tall in the center of the Blue Room, honors the courageous service of the troops, veterans, and military families who serve our country with pride. The 18-foot-6- inch Fraser Fir from Jefferson, North Carolina is trimmed with ornaments decorated by military children living on U.S. Military Bases all over the world, and these one-of-a-kind ornaments honor their parents’ commitment to service.

President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Nov. 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama held his first full Cabinet meeting since the election took place.

He first thanked Cabinet members for doing “a remarkable job on behalf of the American people, across the board, on a range of issues” including growing our economy, putting people back to work, and keeping Americans safe around the world.

But there’s still much work to be done, he reminded them. In today’s meeting, President Obama said the Cabinet would discuss efforts to help communities recover and rebuild after Hurricane Sandy, as well as something that’s on the minds of many American families across the country: making sure taxes on the middle class don’t go up.

There is no reason why taxes on middle-class families should go up. It would be bad for the economy.  It would be bad for those families. In fact, it would be bad for the world economy. And so I think it’s very important that we get that resolved, and I am very open to a fair and balanced approach to reduce our deficit and provide the kind of certainty that businesses and consumers need so that we can keep this recovery going.

If Congress fails to act before the end of the year, every American family’s taxes will automatically go up. A typical middle-class family of four would see their taxes rise $2,200 starting in 2013. Standing with middle-class families at the White House today, President Obama called on all Americans to speak out:

So today, I’m asking Congress to listen to the people who sent us here to serve. I’m asking Americans all across the country to make your voice heard. Tell members of Congress what a $2,000 tax hike would mean to you. Call your members of Congress, write them an email, post it on their Facebook walls. You can tweet it using the hashtag #My2K.

And they did. Take a look at what $2,000 means to Americans below, or over on Storify.