A 19-year-old Fraser fir from North Carolina is headed for the White House.
In a nationwide competition, growers submitted samples to judges selecting the White House's Blue Room winner.
The Church family, from Ashe County, clinched victory over a dozen other growers.
A standby "Grinch" with an axe was ready just in case.
Once cut, workers guided the fir onto a truck via crane for its journey north.