White House Christmas tree arrives by horse-drawn carriage
First Lady Melania Trump received the White House Christmas tree in a horse-drawn carriage.
First Lady Melania Trump will receive the White House Christmas tree on Monday, officially ushering in the holiday season.
The 25-foot-tall Conqueror Fir will arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue today, Monday, November 24, 2025, at noon (Eastern Time). The first lady will be with Rick Dungey, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association, to deliver the baby on North Drive in the White House.
This year’s tree will be grown and delivered by Michigan-based Colson’s Tree Farms, which won the National Christmas Tree Association’s National Tree Contest in July.
The biannual St. Louis-based contest gives Christmas tree growers from around the country the chance to decorate their trees at the White House and Vice Presidential Residence each Christmas season. The winner of the National Christmas Tree Association’s National Tree Contest has provided the White House’s official Christmas tree each year since 1966.
As Grand Champion, owners Rex and Jessica Colson will present the tree to the First Lady. Colson’s Tree Farms, Michigan’s first Grand Champion since 1985, previously won Reserve Champion in the 2015 Christmas Tree Contest and provided the official Christmas tree for the Vice President’s Residence that year.
The tree will be displayed in the Blue Room of the White House, a tradition that began in 1912 by President William Howard Taft’s children and was established by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, according to the White House Historical Society.
Contributed by N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Jenna Prestininzi, USA TODAY Network
