Michelle Obama Pulls Off A 19-Foot Tree For Last White House Christmas
Thanksgiving Day has passed and the next big holiday to prepare for is Christmas. And while the others have already put up their usual decorations, Flotus Michelle Obama patiently waited for her last White House Christmas tree to be delivered.
On Friday, Michelle Obama welcomed her fresh Christmas tree, delivered straight to the North Portico at the White House on a horse-drawn carriage, reports ABC News. As part of the White House tradition, the Blue Room is decorated with a memorable tree to brighten up the season's feel inside the president's home.
This year, Michelle waited on a 19-foot Balsam-Veitch fir tree from Wisconsin, CBS News reports. Obama welcomed its arrival with her young nephews Austin, 6, and Aaron, 4, with matching celebratory music from a marching band.
Choosing which tree to install at the White House is not as simple as how mothers choose theirs for their homes. Since 1966, there is a special way to determine where the official White House Christmas tree of the year will come from. The National Christmas Tree Association holds an annual contest on Christmas tree presentations and whoever wins this contest gets to supply the official Christmas tree at the White House.
The said Christmas tree that Michelle received came from this year's winners, Dave and Mary Vander Velden from the Whispering Pine Trees Farm in Oconto, Wisconsin. However, since the weather condition in Wisconsin did not permit the Vander Veldens to produce the expected tree mentioned above, a 19-foot Douglas fir tree from Pennsylvania came in as their replacement.
The tree will be unveiled to the public's eye on Tuesday after a group of volunteers finishes decorating the enormous Christmas tree. This tree will be one of the most memorable official Christmas trees in the White House history, for the Obamas' last Christmas at the White House.
