Christmas 2019 Downing Street Decoration (1)

The Downing Street Christmas tree is the

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

placed on Downing Street, outside

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...

, which is the official office and residence of the

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

. It arrives near the end of November and is lit in early December for a live

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

programme.

History

The tradition began in 1982 while

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

was in office. Members of the

British Christmas Tree Growers Association The British Christmas Tree Growers Association is the trade association for those who grow specialist Christmas Trees in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Membership is open to those who intend to grow or are growing trees for the Christmas mar ...

take part in an annual competition for "growth of the year" and "champion festive wreath" and winners provide their trees and wreaths for display outside No. 10 Downing Street. All entries are judged by fellow growers around two months before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

in various categories. The winning tree must be 18 and a half feet tall (5.6 metres). The tree is ceremonially lit by the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

and his or her spouse, who usually say a few words first. The event is attended by various guests such as staff members, charity volunteers,

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

and their families, who sing

Christmas carols Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

afterward. In 2012,

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

asked finalists from '' The X Factor'' to assist him in the lighting. In 2008, Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

's wife Sarah hit the lights with the help of

Cub Scouts Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

and

Beaver Scouts Beavers is a program associated with some Scouting organizations generally for children aged 6 to 8 who are too young for the Cub program. Beavers programs had their origins in the Northern Ireland organization ''The Little Brothers'', founded in ...

Gallery

Image:PM turns on Downing Street Christmas lights (38005652285).jpg,

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

switches on the lights, 2017. Image:Christmas 2019 Downing Street Decoration (3).jpg,

Larry Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence (given name), Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American arti ...

, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office walking past the tree Image:Christmas 2019 Downing Street Decoration (4).jpg, Tree and wreath provided by winners from Dartmoor in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, 2019. Image:Christmas 2019 Downing Street Decoration (2).jpg, Christmas wreath from Dartmoor, 2019. Image:10 Downing Street SW1 (4223005956).jpg, 2009 tree from Hastings, East Sussex. Image:London December 9 2013 096 Downing Street (11295767544).jpg, 2013 tree from

Christmas Common Christmas Common is a hamlet in Watlington civil parish, Oxfordshire about south of Thame in Oxfordshire, close to the boundary with Buckinghamshire. The hamlet is above sea level on an escarpment of the Chiltern Hills. Because of its eleva ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

References

External links

Downing Street Official website

The British Christmas Tree Growers Association homepage
{{coords, 51.5033, -0.1277, display=title Christmas in the United Kingdom Annual events in the United Kingdom Individual Christmas trees Individual trees in England

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links