US Capitol Christmas Tree makes its way through Sacramento
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree — named “The People’s Tree” this year — made a stop at the Sacramento State Capitol where California assembly members, Senator Mike McGuire and notable community members attended and delivered presentations about the importance of the tree.
“The last several years here in the state of California have been incredibly challenging,” Senator McGuire emphasized. “It’s been incredibly challenging in California and throughout the west with larger and more destructive wildfires and a historic drought.”
Although the location that the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree comes from changes every year, it’s significant that the tree comes from California, which has been ravaged by uncontrollable wildfires in recent years.
The U.S. Forest Service provides a tree for the U.S. Capitol each year that is displayed on the Capitol’s lawn during the holiday season. The last time the tree came from California was 10 years ago, according to Nancy Henderson with the U.S. Forest Service.
“We have the opportunity to bring the country together putting aside all of our divisions and allowing us to just celebrate the season and each other,” Henderson emphasized.
She said that the theme of this year’s tree is Six Rivers because the tree came from Six Rivers National Forest.
Jace Goddard, public affairs officer for U.S. Forest Service, said the tree has 15,000 ornaments that were made by Californians — the most in the tradition’s 51-year history.
“It celebrates truly the natural and cultural diversity of not just the Six Rivers National Forest, which it has, but all of California,” she highlighted. “We’re trying to stop in as many places, small and large communities, to make sure that we really get out there into the public and celebrate the people’s tree with the public. This is their tree.”
Senator McGuire also noted the significance of the ornaments during his speech.
“Students all across California have made 15,000 ornaments that will be hung on the U.S. Capitol Tree and smaller trees that will be placed throughout the U.S. Capitol during this holiday season,” he said.
Samantha Reho, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, noted that the tree was harvested from the Mad River Ranger District, half of which burned down last year during the 2020 August Complex Fire.
“It really speaks to all Californians because we’ve been affected by wildfires whether it comes to smoke or actually having a fire at your front door,” Reho emphasized. “To be able to bring an iconic tree to Washington D.C. to represent California, but also represent the entire nation as a whole, speaks strongly to be able to have this representation presented to everyone to enjoy in D.C.”