Flickr - USCapitol - Capitol Christmas Tree - 2009

The Capitol Christmas Tree, formerly the Capitol Holiday Tree and nicknamed the People’s Tree, is the decorated tree that is erected annually on the West Front Lawn of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

, in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the

Christmas holiday season The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...

. The selection, installation, and decoration of the tree are all overseen by the Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds of the

Architect of the Capitol The Architect of the Capitol is the Federal government of the United States, federal Government agency, agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of t ...

(AOC). The tree is traditionally lit by the

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

, accompanied by an essay contest winner during a ceremony at the beginning of December or even at the end of November, and remains lit each night through

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

. By tradition, the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

or celebrity guests will not attend the tree lighting ceremony.

History

Records of the AOC indicate that a Christmas Tree was purchased in 1919; however, it was not until 1964, one year after the suggestion of John W. McCormack, the 53rd

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, that a procedure was established for the installation of a yearly tree. The 1963 tree was a live

Douglas-fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

, purchased from a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

nursery. It was re-decorated each year through 1967 when it was severely damaged in a wind storm and subsequently died as a result of root damage. After the 1963 tree died, white pines from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

were cut down and put on display for the 1968 and 1969 seasons. Beginning in 1970, trees have been provided by the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

from various

National Forests National Forest may refer to: * National forest or state forest, a forest administered or protected by a sovereign state ** National forest (Brazil) ** National forest (France) ** National forest (United States) ** State Forests (Poland) ** The N ...

. In the late 1990s, the ''Capitol Christmas Tree'' was renamed to the ''Capitol Holiday Tree''. There was never a clear explanation as to why the name change occurred, but the name change raised controversy. On November 29, 2005, the day after the 2005 tree arrived from

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, the tree was renamed the ''Capitol Christmas Tree'' at the request of

Dennis Hastert John Dennis Hastert ( ; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician, teacher, and wrestling coach who represented from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. Hast ...

, the 59th Speaker of the House. Traditionally, the tree is lit following a 5-second countdown and the tree lighting ceremony has been followed by the playing of "

O Christmas Tree "" (; "O fir tree"), known in English as "O Christmas Tree", is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song that was unrelated to the holiday, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree. History The modern lyrics were ...

Trees

Gallery

Capitol Christmas Tree in Ukiah, California - 2021-10-31 - Sarah Stierch 02.jpg, Special semi-truck wrap for the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree Capitol Christmas Tree in Ukiah, California - 2021-10-31 - Sarah Stierch 01.jpg, 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree in its transport Capitol Christmas Tree in Ukiah, California - 2021-10-31 - Sarah Stierch 08.jpg, People signing the truck transporting the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree at an event in Ukiah, California File:Arrival of the 2022 Capitol Christmas Tree (52508817775).jpg, Arrival of the 2022 Capitol Christmas Tree File:Flickr - USCapitol - U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree - 1964 (1).jpg, Arrival of the 1964 Capitol Christmas Tree Flickr - USCapitol - U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree - 1964.jpg, Planting of the 1964 Capitol Christmas Tree

References

{{coords, 38.8898, -77.0112, display=title United States Capitol grounds Individual Christmas trees Recurring events established in 1963 1963 establishments in Washington, D.C. Christmas in Washington, D.C. Individual trees in the District of Columbia

History

Trees

Gallery

See also

References