White House Christmas Highlights The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

Ornaments inspired by the Gloria Houston’s children’s book The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree are featured on two of the White House Christmas trees this season. And as fans of the story know, the perfect Christmas tree high on the cliffs of Grandfather Mountain.

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree is set in the High Country during WWI and tells the story of a little girl named Ruthie whose family has the honor of supplying the community Christmas tree. Ruthie’s papa plans to provide a balsam tree because the balsam is the perfect tree. When Ruthie and her father find their perfect tree, it grows on the edge of a high cliff on Grandfather Mountain.

While Ruthie’s family struggled with the stress of her father being called away to fight in World War I, modern families in Gloria Houston’s ancestral home place are struggling with plant closings and lost jobs.

During the past four years, closings and layoffs at local textile and furniture mills have eliminated more than 2,500 jobs in Mitchell County (located 15 miles south of Grandfather Mountain). After hearing about the community's problems, Houston donated the rights of her book to Spruce Pine and suggested local officials market the town as "the home of the perfect Christmas tree."

Last year, the community cut the ribbon on a retail store featuring items handcrafted by local artisans that are inspired by the book. Currently, the store features more than 300 high-quality products by 30 artisans from the mountain counties of Mitchell, Yancey, McDowell, Avery and Buncombe.

A local congressman contacted the office of First Lady Laura Bush in July to recommend that the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree be included in the White House’s Christmas celebration. The following month, Mrs. Bush’s office contacted the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce to notify them that they had been selected to participate.

"This is a very wonderful American story," said First lady Laura Bush. "They all worked together to figure out a new industry for themselves, and they came up with making these wonderful ornaments."

Bakersville weaver Billie Ruth Sudduth provided 115 red, green and walnut Carolina "snowflakes" for the White House Christmas. The White House trees also feature handblown glass ornaments by Virgil Jones of Asheville.

One of the trees adorned with the Carolina mountain ornaments sits in the East Wing reception area where the president and first lady receive guests for special White House functions. The other tree is stationed right outside the Oval Office reception area.

With the excitement surrounding the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being involved in the White House Christmas celebration, participants in the project are looking ahead as the project continues to grow and serve as an economic boon to the region.

“We have our sites on Macy’s now, so we’ll see what they have to say,” said Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Project Coordinator Pattie Jensen.

For more info on products from the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree, visit homeoftheperfectchristmastree.org.

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