The White House Christmas tree arrived today in traditional style: by horse-drawn carriage. Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama met the 18½-foot Douglas fir and the West Virginia couple who grew it, Eric and Gloria Sundback, at the North Portico. The nonstop chirping of camera shutters provided the soundtrack, USA Today reports. Asked whether this was the largest tree the family's ever had, the first lady replied, "Yeah, I think this wins."
"She’s charming," Eric Sundback said of Michelle Obama after he and his wife joined her for tea. "We had a nice tea with her and the children are wonderful. I was glad they could come out."
(More White House stories.)