White House Christmas tree selected

NESHKORO - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Well, at least for the owners of Schroeder's Forevergreens.

The official White House Christmas tree has been selected and it's coming from Northeast Wisconsin. White House staff visited a tree farm owned by Tom and Sue Schroeder in Neshkoro Monday morning. The couple owns Schroeder's Forevergreens.

After inspecting about a half-dozen trees, White House Grounds Superintendent Dale Haney selected an 18-and-a-half-foot-tall balsam fir.

"The color is great, the thickness is great, the smell is awesome," said Haney. "I think it's just the perfect tree for the White House Blue Room this year."

The Schroeders earned the honor after winning a national tree contest through the National Christmas Tree Association.

It was their very first win.

"It's a great honor, I mean it's unbelievable," said Tom Schroeder.

Since 1966, the winner of the contest has provided the official White House Christmas Tree; this will be the seventh from Wisconsin.

Officials say the tree will be seen by thousands throughout the holidays.

"We'll have maybe 100,000 people go through the holiday season, between the tours and the parties, this is the center, focal point of Christmas for the White House," Haney explained.

And ironically, this particular tree, was the same one the Schroeders had chosen - even before their win in August.

"We had sold some of these big ones last year and I came out on the field, the customer came out and I tagged this tree and said any tree but this one, maybe one of these years we'll win nationals and this is a good one for the White House, jokingly. Well, now it's not a joke anymore," Sue Schroeder explained.

The tree will remain on the farm for a few more weeks.

It'll be harvested at the end of November and the Schroeders will then present it to First Lady Michelle Obama the day after Thanksgiving.

"To represent Wisconsin agriculture traditions is just very neat," Sue said.

Another tree from the Schroeder farm will also be inside the White House.

The Schroeders say a smaller balsam fir will be put up in the Obamas' private residence.