The First Lady turns 50 on Friday and the birthday celebrations have already begun. The first lady and a few friends -- "as part of her birthday gift from the president," -- spent extra time in Hawaii after President Obama returned from Christmas vacation.
Back home, the event will be celebrated on Saturday with a gala the Chicago Tribune says has been dubbed "Snacks & Sips & Dancing & Dessert."
(The invite caused a bit of a dust up among etiquette experts who told the Washington Post that the invite -- which warns guests to eat ahead of the party -- breaks with protocol.)
The guest list and the entertainment hasn't been announced, but the First Lady offered a hint last month as she took questions from children at the Children's National Medical Center.
"I’m not exactly sure yet what I’m going to do, but it might involve some dancing. A little Dougie," she said to laughter and applause, after noting she would be turning 50. "Fifty and fabulous."
(The Dougie, a hip-hop dance, was one of the moves Obama performed on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" when she danced with the host, who was in drag, in a spot called "The Evolution of Mom Dancing," the Tribune noted.)
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is using the event as a bit of a fundraiser -- sending out an email that seeks to send a card to Obama "with 100,000 well-wishes from some of her biggest fans" -- and directing them to a webpage that takes campaign contributions.
The Washington Post surmises that Beyonce could be one of the party performers: she and the First Lady are fans of each other and the singer's husband, Jay-Z, will be in concert at Verizon Center on Thursday.