One year on a family visit to Asheville, Lizzie Whitcher fell in love with Biltmore—so much so that she studied floriculture at Texas A&M with hopes of eventually working at the estate. Soon after, she made that dream a reality. In addition to managing decor for events, her team of 10 designers directs the installation of more than 100 trees, hundreds of thousands of lights, and thousands of feet of garland for Christmas at Biltmore. “It’s rare to be able to say that you’re doing the job you dreamed of having forever ago,” she says. “I feel very lucky.”

Blue (Spruce) Christmas

“George Vanderbilt moved into the house in October 1895. It was still under construction, but his focus was already on inviting his family for Christmas. We don’t have any historic decorations, but we cherish docum

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