US Capitol Holiday (& Christmas) Tree (Senate, Dec 7th)

[The Straight Story]

UNITED STATES CAPITOL HOLIDAY TREE -- (Senate - December 07, 2004)

GPO's PDF

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Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate Virginia's role as the 2004 provider of the annual U.S. Capitol Holiday Tree, selected each year from America's national forests.

In recent decades, the traditional Christmas tree has moved beyond its place as solely a religious symbol in the homes of hundreds of millions of Americans. Although the Christmas tree will always, and rightfully, have a special meaning in Christian homes, today all Americans await the annual tree-trimming to signal the beginning of the year-end religious and holiday season.

It is with great pleasure that I join my colleagues from the Virginia congressional delegation in recognizing the first-ever contribution from the Commonwealth of Virginia to this fine tradition. This year, our State, the home of the first English-speaking colony in the Americas, and home to our first President, George Washington, and eight of his successors, will make America proud as the home of the Nation's holiday tree for the first time since this tradition began 40 years ago.

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote of friendship as a ``sheltering tree.'' And this year, thousands of Virginians--from all ages and from all across the Commonwealth--have extended the right hand of friendship to their fellow Americans by providing this great tree for display in our Nation's capital.

At five o'clock on the evening of December 9, the Speaker of the House of Representatives will mark the official beginning of America's holiday season by lighting 10,000 small lights on a 79-year-old Virginia red spruce that, until last month, stood as one of Virginia's finest. Without question, it has lived through a remarkable period in our Nation's history.

That flip of a switch will culminate over a year of activity by ordinary Virginians, park rangers, State officials, schoolchildren and countless others in selecting, preparing and decorating this wonderful, 82-foot tree from Warm Springs Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest in Highland County.

All Virginians rightfully take pride that this 7,500 pound tree will remain lit each evening on the National Mall until the 2nd of January, welcoming the Christmas and Holiday season for citizens across this great land. Since the day last month that the tree was airlifted from its place in the George Washington National Forest, Virginians from every corner of the Commonwealth have played a part in getting this wonderful tree ready for primetime. Beginning on November 13, the spruce visited 33 communities in our State on its way to the National Mall: Monterey, Winchester, Leesburg, Culpeper, King George County, Westmoreland County, Henrico County, Petersburg, Charles City, Hampton, Onancock, Cape Charles, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Suffolk, Emporia, South Boston, Chatham, Damascus, Smyth County/Marion, Wise, Tazewell, Wytheville, Clifton Forge, New Market, Staunton, New Castle, Roanoke, Orange, Amherst, Farmville, Manassas, Alexandria, and Vienna.

In addition to the thousands of Virginians who greeted the tree on its way to Washington, thousands of other school children, scouts, State and Federal officials, police departments, members of 4-H clubs, and citizen volunteers also took part in crafting and preparing some 10,000 original ornaments for the tree. Approximately 5,000 of these will hang on the holiday tree, and the rest will decorate 70 smaller companion trees in the Nation's capital.

As the time-intensive, individual contributions of tens of thousands of Virginians demonstrate, our State is proud to take a lead role this year in welcoming in the Christmas and holiday season for our fellow Americans. On a personal note, one of my longest-serving and hardest-working staff members, Ms. Doriene Steeves, has played a key organizing role in putting together this wonderful event for the benefit of our State and our Nation. I salute her and those other Virginians whose hard work and creativity have brought this magnificent tree to the Nation's doorstep for all to see and appreciate through the holidays.