First lady Jill Biden on Monday welcomed the White House Christmas tree, an 18-and-a-half-foot fir that will stand from floor to ceiling in the Blue Room, as it does each year.
Dr. Biden led her two-year-old grandson Beau outside the White House to receive the tree on a horse-drawn cart. “He wanted to come out and see the tree.”
Beau is President Joe Biden's youngest grandchild and son of Hunter Biden. He is named after the late Beau Biden, Hunter's older brother, who died in 2015.
“I love the tree,” the first lady said, taking a picture with the Shealer family, who grew the Concolor Fir on their farm in Auburn, Penn.
The tree was first planted 20 years ago, said Paul Shealer, who was the Grand Champion Grower in this year’s National Christmas Tree Association contest.
“I think it will fill the room,” he told Dr. Biden, chuckling.
“It’ll fill our hearts for sure,” she responded, later inviting the family to one of the White House Christmas parties later this year.
Each year, the Blue Room’s chandelier is removed to accommodate the Christmas tree’s full height, according to the first lady’s office.
Kelly Hokanson, spouse of National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson, joined Dr. Biden for the reception.
President William Howard Taft’s children first placed a tree in the Blue Room in 1912, according to the White House Historical Association.
The custom has continued sporadically throughout the years – some first families placed a tree in the Blue Room, while others preferred multiple trees in the East Room, where many of the season’s events happen.
During the Eisenhower administration, first lady Mamie Eisenhower featured a tree in the Blue Room consistently, and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy continued the tradition.
In 1961, she picked a theme and decorated the tree with objects depicting characters and toys from the "Nutcracker Suite" ballet. That tradition has continued since.
The theme for 2022 has not yet been announced.