Escorted by a sea of flashing police lights, the state's official Christmas tree arrived at the statehouse Monday morning, signally the official start of the holiday season in the Midlands and the upcoming 57th Annual Governor's Carolighting.

This year, the official tree is a 35-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Henderson Tree Farms in Morganton, N.C., and marks the second year the tree has come from Morganton. Dominion Energy will string over 13,000 LED lights, and the Columbia Garden clubs will hang 900 ornaments. The tree will stay dark until the 57th Annual Governor's Carolighting Sunday, Nov. 19.