capitol christmas!

Each year at Christmas I tell myself, "Self, you will go see a tree lighting ceremony at the White House."  And then I don't do it.  This year I told myself the same thing and then happened to mention it out loud to my friend AL.  She's a fan of the Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony because you can actually get onto the Capitol grounds and feel more a part of the ceremony than at the White House.  I said, "Self, this is a pretty good idea.  Let's do it."  So, we did.

Like all events on the Capitol lawn involving any members of the Congress or Senate, attendees to the tree lighting ceremony had to pass through security.  As we went through, we saw people with their government IDs getting into the area closest to the tree.  I had come straight from work, and had my ID with me, so we used it to try and get in.  No luck, only a Capitol staffer ID worked the required magic, but we still had a pretty great view of the tree outside the fence.  I'll get some close up photos another time.

The tree is 85 feet of Christmas gorgeousness covered in handmade ornaments.  It's from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in Arizona.  The school kids of the Grand Canyon State made all the ornaments. 

Apache dancers danced and blessed the tree, so it would be a true symbol of peace and goodwill towards all men.  It was really cool to hear their drumming and chanting, and it really helped to pass the time as we stood in the cold, damp grass waiting for the ceremony.  Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a good photo of the dancers.  The master of ceremonies was a real class act, cutting off the performance by telling the dance troupe, "Okay, that's all we have time for."   

We then stood and listened to the US Marine Corps band play Christmas carols until the ceremony began about 20 minutes later.  The band is so good, and it's always a treat to hear them play. 

The porch of the Capitol, where President Obama was inaugurated earlier this year, was filled with wounded warriors from Walter Reed and Bethesda Military Hospitals.  That was a nice touch.  The governor of Arizona said the lights on the tree represented all the service men and women all over the world sacrificing for our freedom.

I couldn't resist taking a photo shot of the view from the west lawn of the Capitol where we were standing.  Winter evenings in DC can be quite beautiful, especially at the Mall where they be can even be magical.

This is what happens when you try to take a long distance photo in the dark without a tripod.  I think it's an accidental artistic shot.  Uh-huh, right.

After several minutes of speeches by prominent Arizona politicians all trying to work the comparison of a Christmas tree to America, the lights were switched on by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a seventh grader from Surprise, Arizona.  The state held a drawing for which child would travel to DC and help light the tree.  I seriously want that job someday!  Not the Speaker's job, the job of being a seventh grader selected to travel with your family and school teacher to DC and turn on the tree.

More lights!  Senator John McCain was among the Arizona politicians who spoke.  I saw the top of his white haired head, which really didn't make for any exciting photos. 

All the politicians and the Capitol Architect who spoke were very proud of the fact that LED lights were being used on the tree for the fifth year in a row.  Because of the LED lights, it was a green Christmas tree (pun intended). 

I'm not exactly an environmentalist of any sort (I do recycle), but somehow I think that the green-ness gets erased when a tree that's 125 years old gets cut down and trucked across the country along with 80 other freshly cut, perfectly healthy trees for the purpose of decorating the Capitol and select members' offices, but that's just me.  I'm now mildly curious about the cost of buying back that carbon footprint, but not enough to give up buying a fresh Christmas tree. 

Presenting the Capitol Christmas tree...or that totally random woman with pink gloves checking the photos on her camera.

AL and I with the tree and Capitol dome in the background.  All in all it was great evening, and even the loss of my license and debit card didn't dampen the Christmas spirit.

Merry Christmas from our nation's capitol!

photos by me, AL and other random people at the ceremony