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

The 82-year-old president 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.

Biden White House Holidays
Blossom, left, and Peach, right, walk on the South Lawn of the White House before they are pardoned by President Joe Biden (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

“It’s been the honour of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Mr Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on January 20 2025, when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man that Mr Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability.

Until Inauguration Day, the president and first lady Jill Biden will continue a busy run of festivities that will double as their long goodbye.

The White House schedule in December is replete with holiday parties for various constituencies, from West Wing staff to members of Congress and the White House press corps.

Mr Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president’s home state of Delaware.

Biden White House Holidays
Joe Biden kicked off his final festive season as president with the pardoning of turkeys at the White House (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

“The peach pie in my state is one of my favourites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Mr Biden’s right.

“Peach is making a last-minute plea,” he said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters.

Mr Biden introduced Peach as a bird who “lives by the motto, ‘Keep calm and gobble on’”, while Blossom, the president said, has a different motto: “No fowl play. Just Minnesota nice.”