First
Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the holiday season by
welcoming the White House Christmas tree, a
19-foot Fraser fir from
Ashe County that will be displayed in the
Blue Room. With daughters
Malia and
Sasha, first dog
Bo and several others, she welcomed the tree and its growers from
Peak Farms in
Jefferson. Farm owners
Rusty and
Beau Estes are this year's grand champion winners of the
National Christmas Tree Association, which has provided the
White House tree each year since
1966. This will be the
12th time that
North Carolina has supplied the
White House tree, more than any other state since the contests started. This also marks the second time that
Rusty Estes has supplied the
White House tree. He and partner
Jessie Davis and their
River Ridge Tree Farms in
Creston supplied the
White House tree for
President Bush in
2008.