Since 1966, the official White House Christmas tree has been selected from an American Christmas tree farm. Growers must first win their state competition before competing nationally for the honor of supplying the tree. National Christmas Tree Association executive director Rick Dungey explains why that tradition matters to American growers: "It's really good for our industry and growers to be able to tell hundreds of millions of people every year that, at the White House, their decorations center around a farm-grown real Christmas tree, not a plastic toilet bowl brush from China." ▻