Jill Biden welcomes Christmas tree to the White House

First lady Jill Biden welcomed the White House Christmas tree Monday while surrounded by military children.

She admired the tree while it was lying in a horse-drawn wagon and chatted with the more than a dozen kids lined up in front of it. She took a photograph with the children and the tree, wearing a festive green jacket and dress.

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” was playing during the photographs, and the children’s parents joined them, as well.

“Early Merry Christmas, happy Thanksgiving,” Biden said to the reporters at the ceremony, adding how nice it was for the military families and children to join her at the White House.

“The tree is magnificent,” she said. “Some of the kids said they had never seen a tree so big. So I hope you’ll all come back during the holidays with your families and join us. And come see the tree when it’s decorated.”

The tree is from Cline Church Nursery in North Carolina. It’s an 18-foot Fraser fir tree, and it will stand in the Blue Room of the White House, according to the News & Observer. The tree is the 15th White House Christmas tree from North Carolina, and a farm in the state also will provide the 2024 tree, the News & Observer reported.

The tree’s arrival marks the official start of the holiday season at the White House. Earlier Monday, President Biden pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey.

Monday also marks the president’s 81st birthday, and the couple is set to leave the White House on Tuesday to spend Thanksgiving in Nantucket, Mass.