Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
White House gets ready for Christmas
Melania Trump and son Barron joined in a timehonored tradition of receiving the official White House Christmas tree, which will become the showstopper for a president who has vowed to put Christmas back at the center of the winter holidays.
A military quartet played holiday tunes Monday as a horse-drawn wagon carried the 19 1⁄2-foot Balsam fir from Wisconsin up the White House driveway.
The first lady and 11-year-old Barron circled the tree and then visited with growers Jim and Diane Chapman. The Chapmans own a Wisconsin Christmas tree farm and won an annual contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association.
“This is a beautiful tree. Thank you so much. We will decorate it very nicely,” the first lady told the Chapmans.
The White House grounds superintendent and the chief usher, who oversees the residence, picked out the tree during a September scouting trip.
President Donald Trump has been eagerly waiting to celebrate a Trump Christmas at the White House. During last year’s presidential campaign, he railed against the habit of saying “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” characterizing it as a “chipping away at Christianity.”
“And we’re not going to let that happen anymore, folks. I’ll tell you,” he said at a 2016 news conference.
The tree for the Blue Room usually arrives the day after Thanksgiving, but it was delivered early to accommodate the Trumps, who will spend the holiday in Florida.