A layer of fog fell on Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm as a group congregated around a decades-old Fraser Fir on Wednesday, with a slight chill to the morning air.

The tree, nicknamed Tremendous, stood around 21 feet tall, reaching 12 feet wide at its base, making it taller than most surrounding it. Its rich-green needles cascaded down the tree, forming the fir into a cone shape, its woody-pine aroma lingering around it.

The Cartner family and staff gathered around the tree and held a prayer before it was carefully cut down, a crane holding the tree upright before it was wrapped and loaded onto a trailer.

The family-owned tree farm, located in Newland, was chosen as the winner of the 2024 White House Christmas Tree competition, beating out competitors from across the nation. Upon being crowned the winner, representatives from the White House traveled to the farm in October to select a tree to be displayed in the Blue Room.

Larry Smith with Mountain Top Fraser Fir was in attendance and said the competition is “like the Miss America pageant” for trees. Many farms enter the competition where they are judged by other growers, industry experts and consumers. He said the contestants must go through local and state rounds of competition before ultimately being selected as the national winner.

Ronnie Beam is the farm manager for Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm and has worked for the family business for over 40 years. 

“I just love nature, I love seeing things grow, I love seeing the outdoors,” Beam said. “I’m a farmer.”

He said the farm won the state competition in the past, but this is their first time coming out on top at nationals. He said he was “stunned” to hear the news.

For Beam, the win also holds a deeper meaning –– to him it speaks a message of unity. Almost two months ago, Newland and surrounding areas were impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Beam said the farm lost approximately 5,000 to 7,000 trees, most of which were around a year old. He said it was inspiring to see the outpour of support from others during and after the storm.

“Nobody asked what your politics was, nobody asked what your religion was. It didn’t matter,” Beam said. “People needed help and people was willing to help each other. And I hope that we can come together and unite as a country based on that.”

People volunteered their time and brought in supplies to the hurricane-stricken community, Beam said. 

“I was pleased to see that people still cared for each other. That was a blessing,” he said. “It’s been a blessing to me, and I’ll never forget that.”

As for what makes Tremendous special, Beam said the tree has the perfect taper and a natural look to the branches and foliage, making it an excellent candidate for decoration.

Jim Cartner said his father started the business back in 1959 to help locals achieve a source of income during the winter months after their cash crops had already been harvested, such as tobacco.

Cartner said the chosen tree wasn’t one the family had on their radar, and aside from regular maintenance, wasn’t groomed like many White House trees typically are.

He said it’s been an excellent experience running the farm and credited the workers, many of whom were in attendance for the tree cutting, for their success.

“We owe them a lot and can’t thank them enough for what they do,” Cartner said. 

Tony Haywood, marketing specialist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and App State alum, said he specializes in North Carolina Christmas trees.

“Working with the Christmas tree growers is just awesome — great people, great community, really great family of folks,” he said. “They’re some of the finest people you would ever want to work with.”

North Carolina — which ranks No. 2 in the U.S. Christmas tree industry — greatly benefits from the seasonal economy, especially in Avery, Ashe and Watauga counties and surrounding areas, Haywood said.

Haywood said Hurricane Helene primarily had a short-term impact on the industry, temporarily blocking road access, but said there could be some impacts in terms of losses in three to four years.

He said the tree, which he estimates took 25 years to grow to its current height, comes from a species that thrives in elevations higher than 2,500 feet with sloped terrain and well-draining soil.

Liz Bushong is a designer and author who runs a website and lifestyle magazine and was in attendance to see the tree. She said she has previously worked as a White House tree decorator. 

Bushong said the volunteer position is filled by approximately 100 decorators from across the country. The decorators work long hours throughout the season in the White House, and Bushong said volunteers will begin this coming Monday, breaking one day for Thanksgiving and continuing throughout the Thanksgiving weekend.

She said she loved the job, getting to see parts of the White House most people never get to see and admiring the design details incorporated into the building. One year, she helped a team decorate 70 trees in Cross Hall.

Bushong said decorators typically use a cherry picker to reach the top of tall trees, like Tremendous, in the Blue Room.

Although she will not be a White House decorator this year, she said she’s hoping she will be chosen to participate next year. 

“It doesn’t matter who’s in leadership. It’s the people’s house, and that’s the best part,” she said.

She said she encourages people to visit during the holiday season to see the decorations that transform the White House.

Sherrie Bacon came to the event with Bushong and said she wanted to see the tree in person.

“We wanted to be here because it’s so patriotic and it’s the tree going to the White House,” she said.

After the tree was cut and loaded onto the trailer, it was transported through the winding path between firs of all stages of growth to Mountain Glen Clubhouse where a celebration was held before it began its journey to the White House Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s beautiful. It’s the perfect Christmas tree,” Bacon said.