With the lifting of the crane, the “People’s Tree”, the Christmas tree of the United States Congress in 2025, made its official debut on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, marking the beginning of the upcoming holiday season.
This Christmas tree comes from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, a towering red fir tree weighing about 2 tons and reaching a height of 53 feet (about 16 meters). After a journey of nearly 3,000 miles, it arrived at the Capitol Building on Friday morning, November 21st. This also marks the first time Nevada has been selected as the tree provider, adding a new chapter to this tradition.
Over the next week, this red fir tree will be decorated with approximately 6,000 LED lights and over 5,000 ornaments, and will be lit up in early December.
James Kaufmann, the Executive Director of the Capitol Hill’s Courtyard and Botanical Garden, remarked at a press conference, “We are grateful to the Carson District government for finding and providing us with this beautiful 16-meter tall red fir tree, which we affectionately refer to as ‘Silver Belle’. ‘Silver Belle’ will be the ideal tree to adorn the Capitol Building.”
Every winter, a giant Christmas tree from the U.S. National Forest is erected on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building, commonly known as the “People’s Tree.” This tradition dates back to 1964, and since 1970, it has been the responsibility of the U.S. Forest Service to select this significant Christmas tree from among the 154 national forests across the country.
The “People’s Tree” symbolizes light, warmth, and joy, bringing a warm glow to the cold winter and also heralding the start of the upcoming Christmas season.