The Big Squeeze

The Great Hall Christmas tree arrived at The Homestead Monday morning. After unloading the tree from a trailer and moving it to the hotel porch using a front end loader, Homestead employees carefully placed the tree in front of a door (above). Then, employees from all over The Homestead gathered to pull the tree using ropes until it finally squeezed through the door (below). The lighting ceremony for the tree and The Homestead grounds was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The tree is a 21-foot tall Fraser Fir grown in West Jefferson, N.C. The tree was planted 25 years ago especially for The Homestead. (Recorder photos by Mike Bollinger)