It wasn't exactly how my parents put up the Christmas tree when I was a kid. This morning a small band played "We wish you a Merry Christmas" as a horse drawn sleigh with a jolly driver made its way up the driveway to the North Portico of the White House.

Mrs. Bush greeted us as we stood at the edge of the grass waiting her arrival, and she told the press all about this year's White House Christmas Tree. The 19-year-old Fraser fir is from Mistletoe Farm in North Carolina. It will stand in the Blue Room at the White House, and the chandelier in the room has to be removed because the tree is so big! Florists come in to decorate the tree with over 300 ornaments made by artists from around the country.

Joe Freeman and Linda Jones of Mistletoe Farm presented the tree to the First Lady. They earned this honor by winning the National Christmas Tree Association's (NCTA) national Christmas Tree contest. Freeman said he was growing the tree to put inside his own house, but decided to give it to the White House instead.

The Christmas tree was five years old when Freeman put it in the ground, and he says it was one of the first trees he ever planted.