This Year’s Christmas Décor by the Numbers

Christmas at Biltmore in Asheville, NC, has provided generations of guests, their families, and friends with an awe-inspiring getaway filled with heartwarming traditions, comfort, and joy, the memories of which last a lifetime.

Let’s take a look at just how much Christmas décor it takes to bedeck George Vanderbilt’s 8,000-acre estate for this beloved season.

Thanks to the incredible work of so many generous people, recovery is happening all around us. Biltmore reopened on November 2 to celebrate the joy of the holiday season with you during Christmas at Biltmore. Find helpful visit planning info, like FAQs, travel access to Asheville, and more on our Know Before You Go page.

This year’s 35-foot tall Fraser Fir from Newland, NC, stands tall in the Banquet Hall of Biltmore House and ready to welcome guests back to Biltmore.

In the past, the Floral team has based their designs around a central theme that carries through Biltmore House and across the estate. For 2024, our designers have allowed each room to speak to them, drawing inspiration from its colors, furnishings, and collection of fine art and objects.

“We always take the elements of each space into consideration and this year, we’re giving a fresh voice to what makes individual areas of Biltmore House so distinctive,” said Lizzie Whitcher, Floral Manager.

Boughs of holly await their placement throughout the Library of Biltmore House for this year’s display.

Christmas Trees

• There will be 58 decorated Christmas trees inside Biltmore House.
• The largest tree inside Biltmore House is, of course, the Vanderbilt traditional fresh 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall. It requires about 50 staff members to carry in, raise, and secure it.
• The smallest ones are a grouping of three tabletop trees in Servant’s Bedrooms.
• A lit 55-foot-tall Norway spruce encircled by 36 illuminated evergreens decorates the Front Lawn of Biltmore House for Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
• A total of 45 additional decorated Christmas trees are at other estate locations, including our Winery, Antler Hill Village, and The Inn on Biltmore Estate®. The Conservatory features decorated “trees” made of potted plants and other natural materials.  

A behind-the-scenes look as floral designer decorate this year’s Second Floor Living Hall trees.

Christmas Lights & Candles

• There are around 45,000 lights and 282 candles inside Biltmore House. Another 850,000 lights illuminate the rest of the estate.    
• More than 55,000 lights illuminate the Front Lawn tree with an additional 32,000 lights on the surrounding trees and shrubs. Uplighting illuminates the poplar trees lining the lawn.
• Hand-lit at dusk, 400 luminaries line the Esplanade in front of Biltmore House every night for Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
• The illumination of Antler Hill Village features thousands upon thousands of lights, including a pole tree near the entrance that plays a continuous show of synchronized lights and music and large Moravian-style stars that lend a magical touch to the Christmas décor. 

A close-up look at some of the elegant ornaments that will adorn the Billiard Room this year, which draw inspiration from the prints displayed throughout the room.

Christmas Ornaments

• The Banquet Hall tree boasts 500 ornaments and 500 LED Edison bulb-style electric lights along with an abundance of gift boxes and other décor.
• There are 13,870 ornaments used on the other trees inside Biltmore House, and many again around the estate to add sparkle and seasonal interest.

Festive garland and lights placed upon Biltmore’s historic Lodge Gate will welcome guests to Christmas at Biltmore once again.

Garlands & Swags

• Our Floral team cuts fresh evergreens on the property every week to create handmade swags to decorate the Grand Staircase in Biltmore House.
• Around 1,600 feet of fresh and faux garlands decorate Biltmore House, and around 1,200 feet are used in other areas.

One of our floral designers drapes velvet ribbon on one of the 58 trees to be displayed this year inside Biltmore House.

Ribbons & Bows

• There are 9,510 yards of ribbon in the Christmas décor in Biltmore House and throughout the estate—primarily in the form of hand-tied bows. 
• Our team uses everything from narrow cording to 8-inch-wide ribbon and they decorate with velvets, metallics, satins, burlap, and printed cottons.
• It takes 5 yards of ribbon to create the festive bows worn by the marble lions at the front door of Biltmore House.
• It takes close to 15 yards of ribbon required to make a tree-topper bow for the 16-foot-tall Christmas trees in the Library.
• Any ribbon that is used year to year is starched and ironed so that it is wrinkle-free and perfect!

It takes approximately 50 employees carry the tree into Biltmore House and hoist it into place. 

Staff

• Transforming Biltmore Estate into a holiday oasis bedecked with awe-inspiring Christmas decor requires meticulous research, creative inspiration, 12 months of preparation, and harmonious teamwork around the entire estate.
• It takes about 50 team members to raise and secure the Banquet Hall’s Fraser fir Christmas tree.
• Our Floral team consists of 10 full-time and 7 part-time floral designers.
• Multiple departments across the estate also help implement the grand plans for Christmas décor at Biltmore each year, including our Engineering, Housekeeping, Museum Services, Horticulture, Guest Services, Security, and Events teams.

All of the wreaths on display in Biltmore House and throughout the estate–like this one adorning the Conservatory last year–are handmade by our Floral team.

Wreaths

• There are 238 fresh wreaths and sprays along with 90 faux pieces around the estate during the season.
• Wreaths are made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, ornamented with golden arborvitae, holly, or other natural materials such as twigs and cones. Artificial bases are decorated with ornaments, berries, faux flowers, and ribbons.

Be sure to look for festive Christmas decor in Biltmore’s historic Conservatory during Christmas!

Poinsettias & Other Botanical Décor

• More than 1,960 traditional poinsettias are found amid the Christmas décor throughout the estate, 271 of which are in Biltmore House. 
• Additional seasonal plants include 4,265 amaryllises, Christmas cacti, bromeliads, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias, and kalanchoes.

Keeping with our tradition, our Banquet Hall tree is trimmed with 500 gift boxes, 500 ornaments, and 500 LED Edison bulb-style electric lights. 

Bonus notable “numbers” for our 2024 celebrations

• This year marks a special milestone in Biltmore’s history with the 40th anniversary of our beloved Candlelight Christmas Evenings celebrations.
• This year also marks 129 years since George Vanderbilt first opened his home to friends and family in 1895.
• Earlier this year, our Museum Services team made 1 new Christmas discovery in our archives, a historic ledger of gifts for employees and their families from Edith Vanderbilt.
• Biltmore’s winery crafted 3 special Christmas at Biltmore wines, a red, wine, and a sparkling.

We extend a warm welcome to you and your loved ones to experience the beauty, grandeur, and traditions this Christmas at Biltmore. From Biltmore House and the Conservatory to the Winery, our overnight accommodations, estate shops, dining, and festive lights throughout Antler Hill Village, there is something for everyone to enjoy this holiday season!