With the holiday season fast approaching, the White House is getting ready to deck the halls.
The annual tradition of choosing the perfect Christmas tree is held through the National Christmas Tree Contest.
This year’s honor went to Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, North Carolina.
Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm is family owned and operated; she has been growing Fraser firs since 1959.
Sam Cartner, owner of Cartner Christmas Tree Farm, told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview that his farm has competed several times and is honored to be selected.
“What we’re really excited about is the industry and [about] The Fraser fir is being recognized as the best Christmas tree in the country and we are excited to promote the industry and be recognized for our green product that is fully recyclable – and [it’s] good for the environment and good for families,” he said.
Since 1966, members of the National Christmas Tree Association have presented the official White House Christmas tree for display in the Blue Room.
Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm will propose six to eight trees to be chosen by four White House officials, who will visit the farm to select the final one.
Sam Cartner said trees should be about 18-19 feet tall and no wider than 12 feet.
“These are Fraser firs and are considered the best Christmas tree species in the country. Although it is slow growing, it pulls long needles and its color is green color and it has a wonderful aroma. It’s native to the western counties of North Carolina,” he said.
“They’re slightly acidic and well-drained, and we get a lot of rain and snow and we have cold weather.”
The trees proposed for the White House took about 25 years to grow.
The farm is run by brothers David, Jim and Sam, who took over the farm from their father, Sam, who served in WWII.
“I think one of the main reasons why my father was a pioneer in this business – he was a cultural extension agent here and he promoted Christmas trees [as] a better cash crop here in the mountains where it was difficult to grow other crops with such a short growing season,” Sam Cartner said.
“And it has become such a successful industry to be the second largest producer of income in these western counties after tourism.”
He said the most important part about choosing a Christmas tree is the experience, and he highly recommends going to a farm where people can choose and cut their own tree.
“[Farms] try to make it an experience where the family can enjoy food and drink, music and pictures, storytelling,” said Sam Cartner.
“That’s what I would say goes to somebody who’s trying to make it a family experience. I’m sure the trees will be fresh because that’s what they’re trying to do. And look for a tree that IS [a] deep green in color and has soft needles,” he added.
Jim Cartner advised families to make sure where they will place the tree in their home before choosing one.
“[People] kind of forget that maybe their ceiling isn’t as tall as the tree in the field, and they come home and, you know, they end up resizing,” Jim Cartner said.
He added,[It] it’s a tradition we love to see families develop, and I think they’ll have a great time collecting trees.”
The farm will have a “harvest” shipment in November. 20 with a fundraiser to benefit families in western North Carolina who have been devastated by the recent floods.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
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Image Source : nypost.com