Christmas at Biltmore kicks off with 35-foot-tall tree raising, holiday lights, decor
ASHEVILLE - More than a century after famed entrepreneur George Vanderbilt marked the first Christmas at the then-new Biltmore House, the time-honored tradition has continued at the historic home with the raising of a Christmas tree.
On the morning of Nov. 1, Biltmore workers ceremoniously carried in, erected and decorated a 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall of the historic home ― dubbed “America’s Largest Home” ― at the 8,000-acre estate in Asheville.
“This day, for everyone at Biltmore, is just a favorite day,” said Floral Displays Manager, Lizzie Whitcher. “I know it’s not actually Christmas but it’s the start of Christmas for us so it kind of feels like that Christmas morning excitement. The tree is coming and once it’s up it feels like Christmas officially begins here.”
The Biltmore House Christmas tree tradition
In October 1895, George Vanderbilt moved into the Biltmore House amid a yearslong construction project of the 250-room home. The first guests were invited to visit over the Christmas season.
The tree raising kicks off Christmas at Biltmore at the estate, a seasonal series that's an homage to that first Christmas and officially begins on Nov. 3, during which the property transforms into a holiday wonderland with twinkling lights, Christmas trees, décor, themed music, and programming to inundate visitors with the holiday spirit.
“Every day when guests would come to the house, that’s kind of what we’re wanting them to experience ― that hospitality that he shared,” Whitcher said. “I think that’s why that’s so special. Also, I think people love the nostalgia of Christmas, and going back in time and coming to Biltmore gives you that feeling and experience.”
Whitcher said this season's tree had been growing for nearly 30 years at Andrews Tree Farm and Nursery in Avery County in Newland, North Carolina, which has historically grown trees for Biltmore.
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“We don’t know what type it was, but we know George wanted a tree that reached halfway to the ceiling in the Banquet Hall and that’s a 70-foot ceiling. That’s why we aim for that 35-foot height,” Whitcher said.
Trip Hudgins, Biltmore engineering operations manager for the Biltmore House and Gardens, said it required nearly 50 estate workers from multiple departments to haul the tree ― estimated at nearly 3,000-4,000 pounds depending on its moisture content. The workers carried the tree with the assistance of pipes through the Biltmore House’s front doors and into the Banquet Hall.
Then, team members positioned on the floor and balcony used heavy-duty ropes to hoist the tree up.
“It’s a great honor to be a part of the Christmas season at Biltmore,” said Hudgins, who’s led the tree-raising for two years and been a part of the operations for more than 13 years. “It’s a wonderful tradition.”
The tree is swapped out for a new tree during the season to preserve freshness. As a practice of sustainability, Christmas trees are mulched or cut up for different uses for the estate, Hudgins said.
A 55-foot-tall Norway spruce illuminates the Biltmore House’s front lawn, surrounded by 36-lit evergreens.
Decorating Biltmore House
The Biltmore team draws inspiration from the archives about the Vanderbilt family to bring authenticity to its modern-day design.
Once the Banquet Hall Christmas tree is standing and secured in place and its branches released from the rope bindings and settled, the décor department takes over to add embellishments.
This year, before erecting the tree, Whitcher and Don Holloway, the Banquet Hall decorator, added a sparkling gold tree topper and two ribbon bows.
An estimated 500 ornaments, 500 LED Edison bulb-style electric lights, decorative gift boxes under the tree, and other décor will complete the holiday scene.
The Banquet Hall tree is the only live tree in Biltmore House but rooms, passageways and foyers throughout the home are accented with decorated faux trees and fresh floral arrangements.
Nearly 45,000 lights, 282 candles, large ornaments, more than 1,960 traditional poinsettias, 238 fresh white pine and Fraser fir wreaths, and nearly 1,600 feet of garland will deck out the house.
This year, 67 Christmas trees will be inside the home and uniquely decorated with a total of nearly 13,870 ornaments.
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Whitcher said the design team made the intentional decision not to settle on one theme. Instead, they resolved to go with “designers’ choice” with each tree telling its own story.
“Each designer pulled from a lot of different areas of inspiration whether it was specific archival stories that we have about the family or Christmas or a specific element in the room ― anything from the bedspread in the Tyrolean bedroom being an inspiration to the tapestry gallery that was intended to celebrate Edith and the contributions and how much she did here in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” Whitcher said.
Each year, on the third floor, a table is set up to represent the table Edith Vanderbilt ― George Vanderbilt's wife ― set up in one of the South Tower bedrooms to wrap gifts she personally purchased for the employees’ children that would be presented to them at the annual staff Christmas party.
“That’s a party that’s continued to this day, so it’s nice to do that nod,” Whitcher said. “There’s many things ― even the baskets of oranges and apples that you’ll see under the Banquet Hall tree ― we know was a gift for employees.”
Gifts are still handpicked and given to Biltmore employees’ children at the holiday party each year, she said.
‘A Biltmore Christmas’ movie
Last January, at the tail end of the 2022 Christmas at Biltmore, the landmark house and estate became a part of another historic event.
Hallmark Channel filmed its new, original film, “A Biltmore Christmas,” premiering at 8 p.m. Nov. 26.
The holiday film’s plot is about a screenwriter who takes a tour of Biltmore House and is transported to a movie set in the late 1940s and struggles to return to the present day.
It's the first film to feature the Biltmore House as itself, as opposed to another venue.
“Our request was that Biltmore House be a main character in the movie and we believe Hallmark did a great job showcasing the house and showing off Christmas at Biltmore,” said Director of Destination, Entertainment and Events, Travis Tatham. “They rose to the challenge and made it happen. It was a lot of fun and a lot of excitement. We enjoyed the opportunity, and everybody here embraced it. It was a special event.”
Visitors of the estate may view costumes and props from “A Biltmore Christmas” in exhibits across the property.
How to experience Christmas at Biltmore
Biltmore Estate’s grounds are accessible by passholder membership or a day pass. Biltmore House tours are an additional cost.
Christmas at Biltmore day tours run through Jan. 7. The Candlelight Christmas Evenings tours run through Jan. 6. Purchase passes at biltmore.com.
“Behind the Magic,” a mini-documentary about the tradition’s history with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Biltmore team members, will premiere online at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 on the estate’s YouTube channel and Facebook.
Biltmore Estate
Where: 1 Lodge St., Asheville.
Info: For more, visit biltmore.com and facebook.com/Biltmore and follow on Instagram at @biltmoreestate.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Biltmore House Christmas tree erected, opens holiday season
