As any retailer knows full well, it’s never too early to start planning — and selling — for the holidays. And the same might be said for Christmas tree farmers especially those, who vie for the chance to have one of their trees showcased at the White House.
This year’s winning tree — a Fraser fir — will be chopped down Wednesday at Cartner’s Family Farm in Newland, N.C. And on Monday the holiday attraction will be delivered by truck and presented to First Lady Jill Biden at the White House. Once decorated, illuminated and displayed in the Blue Room, the White House tree will be admired by thousands of visitors. Although the first Christmas tree was placed upstairs in the historic site in 1889 during Benjamin Harrison administration’s second floor, the first one to grace the Blue Room was put up by President William Howard Taft’s children in 1912. However, Hallmark-like all of this must sound, the selection process for the White House Christmas tree is monthslong in the making.
The National Christmas Tree Association held its first champion grower contest in 1966 with the winner earning the opportunity to present a tree to then First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. To be eligible, participants start by competing in state or regional Christmas Tree Association contest. The winners of those events then become eligible for the national competition.
Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, on the eve of her 55th birthday, standing in front of the White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room.
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Interestingly, the trees in the contest are 8-foot trees, even though the trees that are shown in the Blue Room are typically between 18.5 feet to 20 feet tall. In other words, the contest’s winning tree is not the one that goes to the White House since “it wouldn’t make it to Christmas. It’s a summer event,” according to NCTA’s executive director Tim O’Connor. “Also, the White House needs a large tree that will go to the Blue Room from floor to ceiling. They take the chandelier out and power the lights [for the tree] from where the chandelier connects.”
The selected tree needs to be perfect on all sides because there’s no corner in the Blue Room to hide any imperfections. The winning tree is chosen at the grower’s farm with criteria like appropriate height and 10 to 12 feet in width being key. In addition, “the subjective beauty of the tree” is considered, O’Connor said. “Is it free from defects? Does it have a nice symmetrical balance?”
As one of three parlors on the first floor of the White House, the Blue Room is oval-shaped like the Oval Office. During his first term as president, Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in the Blue Room in 1886. But back to the holiday decor at “the People’s House.” Each year the holiday tree is displayed in the middle of the room, which means “there can’t be a bad side, when visitors pass by,” O’Connor said.
Jacqueline Kennedy and President John F. Kenndy attend the White House staff Christmas party, in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of Kennedy Library Archives/Newsmakers)
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The White House is among the stops for visitors to Washington, D.C., which attracted a record number of nearly 26 million people last year — a 17 percent gain compared to 2022, according to Destination DC. The White House is said to attract 6,000 visitors each day. A media request had not been returned Wednesday.
Not every local or regional winner will choose to compete in the national competition, due the amount of time and expense involved, as well as whether they feel they have a tree that will be competitive. The national contest is held in different states. This year’s contest was held in Minnesota and 20 tree growers competed. There are 25 million to 30 million Christmas trees sold in the U.S. annually.
This year’s winner from Cartner’s Family Farm was not chosen as a sentimental favorite, given the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and what thousands of residents have endured. “No, because the contest happened well before that. The tree that came from North Carolina was selected as the winning tree for 2024, based on the judging at the contest — comparing the trees that were there and picking a winner,” O’Connor said.
The hurricane was not a factor in the decision, because “it wasn’t even an occurrence at that time,” he said.
As for media reports highlighting the winning tree as a sign of resilience, O’Connor said, “Well, you know the growers of North Carolina feel very good about the tree coming from their state. But the fact is there is no correlation.”
The 2017 White House Christmas tree tied into the theme of “Time-Honored Traditions.
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He is planning to fly from Littleton, Colo., to the Beltway for Monday’s presentation of the holiday tree to Biden. O’Connor, who only wears green from time to time, said the occasion is always a big event since it is a really important showcase for the farm growers Christmas tree industry. “It’s a big thing for the grower and their family to present their tree to the first lady at the White House. It’s quite an honor.”
Small mannequins were among the many Christmas decorations that First Lady Laura Bush previewed with the media at the White House in 2001.
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Like anything politically related, White House holiday decor can be criticized too. In 2018, when First Lady Melania Trump placed 40 red topiary trees in the White House’s East Colonnade as a sign of “valor and bravery,” there were plenty of memes in response including comparisons to scenes from the 1961 drama “Last Year at Marienband.”
Cartner’s Family Farm welcomed other attention at a media event for the cutting down of the White House tree. A media request to the farm had not been returned at press time.
Holiday decorators, who have any Christmas tree buying remorse, can take heart beyond knowing that former president Theodore Roosevelt’s family never put up a holiday tree — there are more than 4,000 local tree recycling programs in the U.S.
