Capitol Christmas Tree

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Yesterday, if all went as planned, the giant Christmas tree for the Capitol building arrived in Washington D.C. and was presented to the United States Congress.

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That's not something I usually pay much attention to, but for the first time in history this special tree came from the state of Arizona.

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This 85-foot tall Blue Spruce, pictured at left, is the tallest ever chosen for this honor. It is more than 125 years old, which means it was around more than 30 years before Arizona became a state!

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Previously, the tallest Capitol tree was a 75-foot evergreen from Utah.
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The tradition of the huge tree displayed at the Capitol began in 1964. Pennsylvania provided the trees for the first 4 years; in 1968 and 1969 they were sent by Maryland. Since 1970, different states have been chosen for the honor.
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Generally when people think of Arizona, they think of desert landscape, not alpine forests. I know I always did. However, the mountains of northern and eastern Arizona have many gorgeous forests.
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This year's tree was taken from Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which happens to surround the small town where my family lives. We are proud to have the Capitol tree chosen from our area!

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The process began way back in July, when the Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds came to choose the tree. I understand it was a lengthy process, searching for a perfectly formed tree that would look full when viewed from every angle.

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The tree-cutting ceremony was held on Saturday, November 7th.

The celebratory program included Apache dancers, poetry, and a blessing on the tree. We did not attend, but I wish we could have.

After the tree was cut, it was lifted by a crane and placed on a double-wide flatbed semi truck, resting on a specially made wooden "cradle" so the branches would not be damaged.

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After the tree-cutting concluded, the tree was taken immediately to the nearest town, Springerville-Eagar, about an hour's drive east of our town.


Workers got busy preparing the tree for it's very long drive to its new home, where it will ultimately be cemented into place in a five-foot-deep hole.

The base was fitted with a plastic bladder, which was filled with fresh water every night. The tree absorbed about 65 gallons of water per day.

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On Tuesday, November 10th, the tree began its 10-day tour of Arizona cities. It's first stop: our town!

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From 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., a crowd gathered to enjoy a send-off program outside the Larson Library, adjacent to our school district. The remaining photos are from that event.

Later that day the tree visited Show Low, Taylor, Snowflake, and Payson before moving on throughout the rest of the state.
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(I'm pretty sure the man taking pictures while standing on or next to the semi truck's cab is Wyndie's husband Eugene!)

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On November 20th the tree and its entourage began a 4,000+ mile trek across country to Washington D.C.
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At right is our town's mayor, Luke Smith, who also happens to be our high school's assistant principal in charge of discipline.
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The high school choir, Harmonic Vision, performed at the event.

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Now that the Capitol tree has reached its destination, grounds staff will spend more than a week decorating it with 5,000 ornaments made by Arizona's school children.
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The ornaments had to be 9-12 inches tall and hardy enough to withstand 4 weeks of harsh weather.

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A member of the Apache tribe sang the national anthem in Apache. I wish I'd been there. Jacob's 1st period class attended, and he said it was very cool.
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The official tree lighting in our nation's capital is next Tuesday, December 8th.

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For once, I will be sure I don't miss it!