USDA Forest Service photo
Ethan Reese, center, from Beverly, who will light the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree this evening, is shown with sawyers Ron Polgar and Arden Cogar Jr. on Nov. 1, the day the tree was harvested in Randolph County.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia’s congressional delegation will be present for the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony this evening.
The lighting of the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which was harvested in Randolph County, will take place today during a ceremony on the West Front Lawn beginning at 5 p.m. It will then be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. each evening through Jan. 1.
This year’s tree is a 63-foot Norway spruce from the Greenbrier Ranger District in the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County.
Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., will be on hand for the event, as will Congressional representatives Alex Mooney, R-Second District, and Carol Miller, R-First District.
Mooney said of the tree’s arrival, “It is an honor that the 2023 Capitol Christmas tree is from beautiful Randolph County, West Virginia. I hope that West Virginians can join us in Washington for the lighting ceremony.”
Mooney also provided details on how to attend the Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony.:
Gates will open to the public at 4 p.m. today. Parking near the U.S. Capitol is restricted, so it is recommended that those attending the ceremony walk or use mass transit.
All attendees will enter along First Street at Garfield and Peace Circles.
Guests requiring accessibility services may contact the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services at 202-224-4048 for more information.
Any constituents who have questions about attending the ceremony can call Mooney’s office at 202-225-2711.
Ethan Reese, a Beverly Elementary fourth-grader, won the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest, and will
The tree traveled to Washington, D.C. by truck, making stops in communities along its route before arriving at the U.S. Capitol on Friday.
Each year, the Architect of the Capitol selects the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in consultation with the United States Forest Service.
A team of employees from the AOC will secure and decorate the tree, ensuring it is ready to spread holiday cheer to visitors from all over the country and around the world.
After statewide excitement about the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree being harvested in the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County, officials announced that a second White House Christmas tree had been harvested in Mon Forest, this one near Parsons.
The National Park Service collaborated with the USDA Forest Service to find the 40-foot Norway spruce, which will serve as the National Christmas Tree and be placed on the Ellipse at The White House and President’s Park, ahead of this year’s National Christmas Tree Lighting.
The previous tree, planted at the spot in October 2021, was removed on Nov. 11 after developing needle cast, a fungal disease that causes needles to turn brown and fall off.
This is the first time the National Park Service and USDA Forest Service have partnered to bring a tree to the Ellipse.
Before 1973, the National Park Service used cut trees as National Christmas trees. The NPS and event partners will evaluate whether to continue using a cut tree or to plant a new tree, after this holiday season, officials said.
The National Christmas Tree Lighting will take place Nov. 30 on the Ellipse at The White House and President’s Park, just south of the White House. The event features a countdown to the official lighting of the National Christmas Tree and live musical performances by local and national performers.
