First lady Melania Trump kicked off the holiday season Monday at the White House by welcoming the White House’s official Christmas tree.
The massive tree arrived as White House tours were expected to resume in December after a two-month pause for East Wing construction for President Trump’s ballroom.
The tours will showcase the Christmas decorations on the State Floor, which includes the Blue Room, where the 25-foot concolor fir tree with its silver-blue needles and citrus scent will be the centerpiece.
The tree hails from Michigan and is the third time the White House has had a Christmas tree from Michigan since 1985.
The arboreal honor went to Korson’s Tree Farms, owned by Rex and Jessica Korson, after winning the National Christmas Tree Association’s National Tree Contest in July.
The contest lets Christmas tree growers across the country compete for their tree to be featured in the White House or the Vice President’s residence each Christmas season.
Dale Haney, the longtime chief White House groundskeeper, hand-picked the tree last week.
Per tradition, the tree was presented to the first lady on a horse-drawn carriage.
Ms. Trump is expected to begin decorating the White House for the Christmas season over the next couple of days.
Korson’s Tree Farms will also be gifting a smaller tree to the Oval Office and two trees for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Lansing residence.
The farm is no stranger to winning such honors. It has won the Reserve Grand Champion multiple times, presenting the Michigan governor with trees on three separate occasions, according to its website.
In 2015, the Korsons delivered seven Christmas trees to the vice president’s residence.
Michigan ranks third nationally in Christmas tree production, with over 2 million trees harvested each year, according to the Michigan Farm Bureau.
Today’s honor marks the third time a Michigan Christmas tree farm has provided a tree to the White House since Stephen Vander Wiede provided a blue spruce 41 years ago, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
The tree’s arrival at the White House starts a series of First Family Holiday events, including Tuesday’s annual turkey pardon, which this year goes to North Carolina turkeys Gobble and Waddle.
Last week, the National Christmas Tree, a 35-foot red spruce from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, was presented to the White House. It will decorate the Ellipse near the White House.
