Whitehouse Christmas Tree: 2002

Hedlund's To Present Christmas Tree to The White House

Ed, Cindy and Thomas Hedlund of Hedlund Christmas Trees of Elma, Washington will have a very special honor this holiday season. On December 2, they will present an 18 1/2 foot Noble fir to First Lady Laura Bush for display in the Blue Room of the White House throughout the season, where it will be viewed by millions.

While a trip to the White House and a meeting with the first lady is generally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the few who get that chance, this will be a return trip to the White House for the Hedlunds. The Hedlunds won the National Christmas Tree Association's national Christmas Tree contest and presented a Christmas Tree to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1999. This year, they again won the contest, and will be returning to present a Christmas Tree to First Lady Laura Bush.

"It's pretty exciting to be the first family to put a tree in the Blue Room in two different centuries!" says Ed. "I really wanted to win this honor again because Cindy's health was very poor in 1999, and she couldn't enjoy the experience as well as she should have." In late 1999, Cindy had a painful stint in her kidney. She had the doctor remove it so she would be more comfortable during the trip to Washington, DC. Since, she has had a kidney removed and is doing well.

"Also, Thomas was pretty young in 1999, and now at 14, he's at the age that his memories will last him the rest of his life," says Ed.

As two-time winners of the national contest, the Hedlunds obviously grow some pretty exceptional trees. They also have a knack for adding a little excitement to getting to the contest. "Getting the tree to the contest looking as good as it does in your field is a real challenge," says Ed. "Every time I ship a tree to the contest, there are some new obstacles to deal with."

A few years ago, they decided to ship their contest tree by air in order to minimize its travel time. But the tree didn't make it's connecting flight and ended up sitting at an airport for hours, while Ed frantically called the airlines trying to find his tree. Despite the excitement, that tree ended up winning them the honor of presenting the White House Christmas Tree in 1999.

The 2002 contest was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, another long trip for a tree from a Washington state farm. Ed says, "Shipping the tree to Grand Rapids was more difficult this time due to the events of September 11, 2001. To ship a large crate, you now have to have a registered shippers number. I looked for a way to ship the tree for several months with no success. I was beginning to think I was not going to be able to find a way to get the tree to the competition. With only two weeks to go, I finally found a friend who had a shippers number and would ship the tree for me! We shipped it from Seattle to Chicago, then picked it up in a pickup and drove to Grand Rapids. The Tree Contest Chairman stayed up until after midnight to help me put the crated tree into refrigeration."

The Hedlunds have been growing Christmas Trees about 30 miles west of Olympia, Washington for about 20 years. They first competed at the national level in 1988, when their son, Thomas, was just 10 days old. They currently grow about 60,000 trees on 50 acres. They sell the majority of their trees wholesale, but also have a choose and cut operation near their home. They ship wholesale trees throughout the U.S. and also ship a few to Hong Kong. In addition to Noble firs, the Hedlunds grow Douglas-fir, Grand fir, Fraser fir, Canaan fir, Balsam fir and Turkish fir.

The Blue Room Christmas Tree will be hand picked by The White House Chief Usher Gary Walters and Executive Groundskeeper Irv Williams on October 18. The tree will be cut in late November and loaded into a 53' refrigerated truck to be transported "From Washington State to Washington, D.C." Refrigeration won't be necessary, but the insulated walls of the refrigerated trailer will protect the tree from suffering any possible freeze damage as it is transported through the Rocky Mountains. Transportation for the tree is being donated by Interstate Distributor Company, based in Tacoma, Washington.

The presentation to the First Lady will take place on December 2, 2002. The tree will then be set up in the Blue Room later that day, where it will be decorated by the White House Floral Department staff and volunteers. It will be on display throughout the holidays to brighten the holiday season for White House visitors, whether they visit in person or through media coverage of White House events.

Members of the National Christmas Tree Association have presented the official White House Christmas Tree for display in the Blue Room since 1966. For Real Christmas Tree selection and care tips, or to find a Christmas Tree farm or lot in your area, visit www.realchristmastrees.org.

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