ASHEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – Halloween is over and the countdown to the holidays is on!
The Biltmore Christmas tree arrived at the estate in Asheville, North Carolina early Friday morning by horse-drawn carriage.
The 35-foot Fraser fir towers over guests in the grand banquet hall.
It takes an army of about 50 elves to hoist the massive tree into place, which is no easy task with the valuable artifacts in the banquet hall!
The tree is decorated with 500 ornaments, 500 lights and 500 packages. Just the way George Vanderbilt himself did it decades ago.
The tree will actually be replaced with a new one about midway through the holiday season to guarantee a fresh look for visitors.
The replacement tree is brought in under the cover of darkness and is redecorated before the first visitors arrive the next morning.
Biltmore’s annual tree raising sets the stage for Christmas at Biltmore which runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 5.
