It’s no secret that 2020 has been a bit of a challenge. Okay – we know that’s an understatement, but you get the idea. As a result of the uncertainty, it was pretty certain that those who were going to help get the Capitol Christmas tree from Colorado to Washington were going to face some challenges. One in particular was when to cut it down.
Organizers had to move the tree cutting up a day. The ceremonial removal from Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests occurred on a Thursday, not a Friday, because of the stormy weather in the forecast. The schedule change was due to a planned winter storm. The removal of the 55-foot tall Engelmann spruce more than 80 years old from the national forest southwest of Montrose occurred without a hitch under blue skies and little wind.
Many of those who spoke before the tree’s ceremonial cutting alluded to the fact that this year will be a unique one for the tree to reside at the US Capitol Building in Washington. The sentiment was clear. The speakers believed that the tree would bring some much-needed joy to the nation in a year that has seen so many challenges and changes.
Due to the pandemic, a Capitol representative picked the tree virtually from a selection of candidate trees based on photos and video taken by GMUG officials rather than based on an in-person selection. Another pandemic concession was that the cutting ceremony wasn’t open to the public. People were able to watch online by the Forest Service at the GMUC Facebook Page.
The tree will be decorated with ornaments made by children, artists, and others. It will have 10,000 Colorado-themed ornaments will decorate the Capitol tree and smaller companion trees that will decorate other buildings in Washington. There will be opportunities to see the tree in area communities before the official Washington tree lighting ceremony outside the Capitol.
The annual Capitol Tree has been selected from different Forest Service locations throughout the country. 2020 celebrates the 50th year that the agency has supplied the tree. We think that’s pretty neat. We hope you enjoyed this article and are preparing for a joyous if different holiday season. We wish you peace and happiness this season and every other.
