There’s nothing like Christmas time at the Biltmore!
Check out 30 things you should know about decorating for the holiday at the Biltmore House including trees, ornaments, wreaths and more!
1. There will be 55 decorated Christmas trees inside Biltmore House for the 2017 celebration.
2. The largest tree inside Biltmore House is in the Vanderbilt tradition—a fresh 35-foot tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall.
3. It takes up to 50 Biltmore staff to carry the 35-foot tall Fraser fir tree into the Biltmore House. It then takes a smaller crew to raise and secure the tree.
4. The 35-foot tall Fraser fir tree will become dry about mid-season. That’s when the staff will work through the night to replace the tree with a fresh one
5. The replacement tree usually comes into the house at 4 a.m. on the day it is replaced, and decorating is nearing completion by 9 a.m. when the first guests arrive.
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6. 500 ornaments and 500 LED Edison bulb-style electric lights decorate the Banquet Hall Tree.
7. There are 13,000 ornaments used on the other trees inside Biltmore House.
8. Between seasons, the ornaments are housed in a large off-site warehouse, where they are sorted, labeled, and stored in approximately 1000 Banker style boxes.
9. New this year includes two 15-foot trees flanking the large triple fireplaces on the opposite side of the room. The design for these trees feature a series of ribbon swirls using a total of 1000 yards of ribbon.
10. A lit 55-foot tall Norway spruce encircled by 20 other illuminated evergreens decorates the front lawn of Biltmore House for Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
11. A total of 35 additional decorated Christmas trees are at other estate locations, including the Winery, The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Antler Hill Village and at estate restaurants.
12. The smallest tree is a tabletop tree found in the Raphael bedroom.
13. There are approximately 30,000 lights and 150 candles inside Biltmore House.
14. 135,000 LED and mini lights are found around the estate.
15. 55,000 lights illuminate the Front Lawn tree
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16. 20,000 more lights appear on the surrounding trees and shrubs
17. 250 luminaries line the driveway and Esplanade in front of Biltmore House.
18. Biltmore staff members place and light the 250 luminaries each day at dusk to prepare for guests arriving for Candlelight Christmas Evenings tours. They come back to turn off the lights each night.
19. There are over 1,000 traditional poinsettias found in the Christmas displays around the estate
20. There are also over 1,000 amaryllis, Christmas cactus, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias, and kalanchoe and potted green plants.
21. Wreaths are made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, ornamented with golden arborvitae, holly, or other natural materials such as twigs and cones.
22. Artificial bases are decorated with ornaments, berries, faux flowers and ribbon.
23. 360 fresh wreaths and sprays along with 130 faux pieces are placed around the estate.
24. Garlands 7,527 feet of fresh evergreen garlanding is used during the season, made of mixed white pine and Fraser fir.
25. The garlands are replaced weekly to maintain a fresh look and fragrance for our guests.
26. Faux garlands add another 1,200 feet in Biltmore House as well as around 1,500 feet in other areas.
27. 1,000 bows inside Biltmore House with twice as many at the other estate venues.
28. There are seven full time floral designers as well as 14 staff on the floral reserve team.
29. 100 orbs made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, or made of dried and faux materials are found all across the estate.
30. The amount of ribbon that is needed to make a bow ranges from 5 yards for a bow used on the fresh garland on the Grand Staircase, to 15 yards to make a tree topper bow for a tree in the Tapestry Gallery.
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