Washington  - Outgoing US President George W Bush and his wife Laura plan to return to their roots after an eight-year stint at the White House and have bought a new home in Dallas, the White House said Thursday.

The couple will move into the new house after Bush surrenders his White House quarters to president-elect Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and two children on January
20, according to First Lady Laura Bush's press secretary Sally McDonough.

Bush also owns a ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he spent many vacations during his years as president. McDonough said they would still spend time in Crawford but would live in the new Dallas home.

"I'm sad to leave this beautiful house," Laura Bush told reporters during the unveiling of the White House Christmas decorations Wednesday. "But also looking forward to another life - the afterlife, as I've been calling it - when we can live a much more normal life in our own home."

Laura Bush acknowledged the family's celebrations will not be quite as elaborate once they leave the White House.

"I might be doing the cooking myself," she said.

George and Laura Bush, both raised in Texas, lived in Dallas for seven years before Bush became governor of Texas in 1995, prompting him to take over the governor's mansion in the state capital Austin. (dpa)