No, it’s not too early to start talking about Christmas. 

And North Carolina is already gearing up in a big way, because this holiday season, a spruce from the Tar Heel state will be cast in the national spotlight. 

With Christmas just around the corner, the holiday season is getting underway, and decorating plans are in place.

Each year, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree selects a tree from a different national forest, with this year being a 78-foot red spruce called Ruby. The tree will be harvested right here in the Carolinas from the Pisgah National Forest on Wednesday, Nov. 2 beginning at 11 a.m., according to the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree website.

Rodney Smith, who is a longtime forest service employee, will have the honor of cutting down the tree, according to the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree’s Facebook page.

Before Ruby’s harvest, a short ceremony will take place with live musical performances by Shannon Whitworth and Woody Platt, as well as the Cherokee Legend of the Evergreen Trees told by this year’s Youth Tree Lighter, Coche Tiger, who is a citizen of the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree site says.

With almost a year of planning, Ruby’s ride to the White House is all set. The red spruce will be stylishly sent off to Washington, D.C. wrapped in plexiglass and plywood for extra protection while it journeys on to different towns in N.C. before making its final destination on Nov. 18, as stated on the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree website.