一辆马车在白宫门前缓缓停下，车后拖着一棵高18.5英尺（约5.6米）的圣诞树，这棵圣诞树是要用来装饰白宫蓝屋的。蓝屋圣诞树进驻白宫，标志着白宫（华盛顿宾夕法尼亚大街1600号）的圣诞装点工作正式拉开了序幕。

    第一夫人劳拉·布什亲自出门迎接这棵弗雷斯冷杉的到来，马车停在白宫北入口处的车道上，拉车的两匹马中有一匹似乎不太喜欢这份工作。

    “马儿们今天早上好像少了些团队观念，”第一夫人一边打量着那匹不安分的马，一边查看着圣诞树打趣道。

    白宫首席招待员盖里·沃尔特斯和庭园领班迈克·罗恩10月20日在迪尔农场上挑中了这棵冷杉作为今年白宫的“圣诞树”。此外，他们还为布什私宅和总统办公室分别挑选一棵圣诞树。这三棵树在11月25日被砍倒，之后被运往华盛顿。

    今年白宫的圣诞装点主题是“一切绚烂而美丽”。蓝屋历来是白宫圣诞装点的中心。因为天花板上的吊灯被移走了，所以今年的蓝屋圣诞树一定要有5.6米，这样才能正好贴到天花板。

    “装潢人员已经开始忙碌起来了。圣诞精灵们也来了，都在忙着装点白宫，”劳拉说。美国圣诞树协会从1966年开始向白宫捐赠圣诞树。

    该协会现有4,500名成员，他们都是圣诞树的种植和销售人员。他们每年都会参加各州和当地举行的“圣诞树比赛”，获胜者植的圣诞树才有资格参加全国比赛。迪尔家已有34年种植圣诞树的历史，他的林场种了大约24万棵树。迪尔种的树先在北卡罗莱纳州的比赛中胜出，随后在全国比赛中击败其他22名“选手”。

    迪尔家的圣诞树夺冠后，白宫工作人员便赶往他的林场，开始“选秀”。

    “我们在这棵树上做了记号，希望它能被选中。”迪尔说，“真是梦想成真。我想每位圣诞树的种植者都希望有朝一日能把树送进白宫，现在这事真的发生在我身上了，真是有些难以置信。这应该是我们这个行业中的最高荣誉了。”

    A horse-drawn wagon pulled up to the White House Monday with an 18 1/2-foot Christmas tree that will adorn the Blue Room, marking the official start of the holiday decorating season at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    First lady Laura Bush walked outside to receive the Fraser Fir that was pulled up the driveway to the North Portico by two horses, including one that didn't seem happy in his work.

    "Our horses aren't working as a team this morning," Mrs. Bush said as she eyed the restless horse and scanned the tree.

    Gary Walters, chief usher at the White House, and Mike Lawn, grounds foreman, selected the tree at the Deal's farm on Oct. 20. The tree for the Blue Room as well as trees for the Bush family's private residence and the Oval Office were cut on Nov. 25 and transported to Washington.

    This year, the holiday decorating theme at the White House is "All things bright and beautiful." The Blue Room is the centerpiece of the White House decorations. The tree must be 18 1/2 feet tall because a chandelier is removed so the tree can be attached to the ceiling. 　

    "The decorators are in there right now," Mrs. Bush said. "Santa's elves are in, decorating the White House."

    The National Christmas Tree Association has presented the official White House tree since 1966.

    Members of the association, which represents about 4,500 people involved in the production and sale of real Christmas trees, compete in state and regional competitions to become eligible to take a tree to the national contest. The Deals, who have been growing trees for about 34 years and have about 240,000 trees growing on their farm, competed and won the North Carolina contest and then beat 22 other entries at the national convention.

    After the Deals won the national competition, the White House staff members traveled to the farm and chose the trees.

    "We had tagged this one, hoping it would be the one picked," Earl Deal said. "This is a dream come true. I think every Christmas tree grower hopes that they will someday provide a tree to the White House, but it's still hard to believe that it will ever happen to you. There is no higher honor in this business."