National Christmas Tree (United States)

The National Christmas Tree is a large evergreen tree located in the northeast quadrant of the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. Each year since 1923, the tree has been decorated as a Christmas tree. Every year, early in December, the tree is traditionally lit by the president and first lady of the United States. Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has also made formal remarks during the tree lighting ceremony.

Since 1954, this event has marked the start of month-long festivities known as the Pageant of Peace. The line of smaller trees representing the U.S. states, the five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia around the National Christmas Tree is referred to as the Pathway to Peace.

Beginnings of the tradition

1923 tree The idea of a decorated, outdoor national Christmas tree originated with Frederick Morris Feiker. Feiker was a highly educated engineer who had been a technical journalist for General Electric from 1906 to 1907 and editor of Electrical World and Electrical Merchandising from 1915 to 1921.Leinwand, p. 73."Vice-President F.M. Feiker." Electrical Merchandising, January 1920, p. 3. Accessed 2011-10-19.

In 1921, Feiker joined the personal staff of United States secretary of commerce Herbert Hoover as a press aide.Feiker later held several important U.S. government positions, and became Dean of the School of Engineering at George Washington University. See: "People of the Century." WPI Journal. Spring 1998. Accessed 2011-10-19. The Society for Electrical Development, an electrical industry trade group, was looking for a way to encourage people to purchase more electric Christmas lights and thus use electricity,Christmas in Washington, D.C., p. 14. and Feiker suggested that President Calvin Coolidge personally light a tree as a way of giving Christmas lights prominence and social cachet.Menendez, p. 40. Vermont Republican senator Frank L. Greene accompanied Feiker to the White House, where they successfully convinced Coolidge to light the tree.

Feiker arranged for Paul Moody, president of Middlebury College in Vermont, to donate a tall balsam fir as the first National Christmas Tree.Crump, p. 402.Reports of the tree's height varied considerably. The National Park Service history of the National Christmas Tree notes that media outlets reported the tree's height at , , and . The agency says that photographs of the tree appear to make the height closer to 48 feet. See: Schiavo, Laura. "1923 National Christmas Tree." President's Park (The White House). National Capital Region. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. No date. Accessed 2011-10-20. Middlebury College alumni paid to have it shipped via express to Washington. The branches on the lower of the tree were damaged in transit, so cut branches from a local evergreen were tied to the tree to restore its appearance."Branches Spliced On Tree For President." The Washington Post December 20, 1923.

Feiker put together a group of local civic organizations to erect the tree in the center of the EllipseChristmas in Washington, D.C., p. 14-15.Park Cultural Landscapes Program, p. 35. and decorate it, and the U.S. electrical industry donated $5,000 worth of electrical cables (which were buried under the Ellipse and provided the tree with electricity). The site for the tree was personally approved by Grace Coolidge.Park Cultural Landscapes Program, p. 85. Arrangements were also made to have 3,000 city school children present to sing Christmas carols and the United States Marine Band to play music."National Christmas Tree for President." The Washington Post December 13, 1923. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) agreed to broadcast the event on radio. The tree was decorated with more than 2,500 electric bulbs in red, white, and green donated by the Electric League of Washington.

At 3 p.m. on December 24, 1923, a 100-voice choir from the First Congregational Church assembled on the South Portico of the White House and began a two-hour concert of Christmas carols. At 5 p.m. (dusk) on Christmas Eve,"White House Carols and Brilliant Tree Usher Christmas." The Washington Post December 25, 1923. President Coolidge touched a button at the foot of the tree which lit the lights and electric candles adorning the tree,"Christmas Carols at the White House." The New York Times. December 25, 1923. but he did not speak. A searchlight from the nearby Washington Monument was trained on the tree to help illuminate it as well. The Coolidge family invited citizens of the city to sing Christmas carols on the Ellipse after dark. Between 5,000 and 6,000 people thronged the park, joined by 3,000 more people by 9 p.m. The crowds were joined by the Epiphany Church and First Congregational Church choirs, which sang carols, and the Marine Band, which played Christmas-themed music. The singing ended shortly before midnight. After the white residents of the city had dispersed, African American residents of the city were permitted on the park grounds to see the National Christmas Tree. An outdoor Christian worship service was held, and a mass choir composed of signing groups from area community centers sang more Christmas carols. An illuminated Christian cross was flashed on the Washington Monument, to which men dressed as shepherds walked from the National Christmas Tree.

1924 tree

The 1924 ceremony changed significantly. In April 1924, Coolidge gave a speech to the American Forestry Association in which he criticized cutting down trees for use as Christmas decorations.Christmas in Washington, D.C., p. 15. Feiker believed this was the end of the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, but his wife suggested that a live tree be used instead.Menendez, p. 41. Feiker, accompanied by T. H. Ormesby of the Society for Electrical Development and Republican Representative Hamilton Fish II of New York, extended the invitation to light the tree to Coolidge on December 6, which he again accepted."Coolidge Will Light Big Christmas Tree." The New York Times December 7, 1924.

Will H. Hays, chairman of the Republican National Committee, was also chairman of Amawalk Nursery, and Hays arranged for a live, 30-year-old, Norway spruce to be delivered to the capital.A contemporary source put the tree's height at . See: "Coolidge Will Light Big Christmas Tree." The New York Times December 7, 1924. The tree arrived in the city on December 13"Huge Yuletide Tree for City Is Planted." The Washington Post December 18, 1924. and was planted on December 17 on the west side of Sherman Plaza — a patio, garden, and public square just south of the Treasury Building and its adjacent Alexander Hamilton Place."Coolidge Lights Up Tree to Inaugurate Nation's Christmas." The New York Times December 25, 1925. The tree was planted by the American Forestry Association and decorated with 1,000 red, white, and green lights and white electric candles again provided by the Electric League of Washington."President Will Light Big Christmas Tree." The Washington Post December 21, 1924. The organization donated the strings of lights to the federal government."Yuletide Services to Be Held For All in Capital Tonight." The Washington Post December 24, 1924. Power was provided by the Potomac Electric Power Company via an open manhole on the plaza.Schiavo, Laura. "1924-1933 National Christmas Trees." President's Park (The White House). National Capital Region. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. No date. Accessed 2011-10-20. The tree was now called the National Community Christmas Tree.Schiavo, Laura. "1923 National Christmas Tree." President's Park (The White House). National Capital Region. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. No date. Accessed 2011-10-20. The Community Center Department of the District of Columbia Public Schools coordinated the choirs for the event and the United States Army Band provided music.

Coolidge threw a switch at 8 p.m. to light the tree.One source claims the tree was lit at 6 p.m. See: "Coolidges Sing Christmas Carols at Community Tree." The New York Times December 25, 1924. It was the only year a switch was used; before and since, a button has been pushed. Although the president did not address the people, he and Grace Coolidge stayed to sing Christmas carols with the large crowd of several thousand."Coolidges Sing Christmas Carols at Community Tree." The New York Times December 25, 1924. Jason Noble Pierce, pastor of the First Congregational Church, wrote a new Christmas carol, "Christmas Bells," which was dedicated to Grace Coolidge (the Coolidges' son, Calvin Jr., had died on July 7 from blood poisoning)."Christmas Ushered In At White House and Sherman Park." The Washington Post December 25, 1924. The 70-voice First Congregational Church choir sang the carol for the Coolidges, accompanied by buglers and flute provided by the U.S. Army Band.

1927 to 1933 trees Over the next few years, the annual National Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony changed in only minor ways such as the timing and the use of illumination. The lighting ceremony was pushed back to 6 p.m. in 1925 to better accommodate children's bedtimes. In 1926, a flare was fired into the air as the tree was illuminated, a tradition which occurred for several years. In 1927, a bronze marker was placed at the base of the tree, declaring it the National Community Christmas Tree. The tree was decorated with improved lighting strings (which required only 500 multicolored bulbs) as well as with 2,000 light-scattering jewels."Coolidge Opens Yule Festivities." The New York Times December 25, 1927. Colored floodlights at the base of the tree also helped provide color. President Coolidge briefly addressed the crowd, beginning a tradition of a brief presidential speech during the ceremony.Crump, p. 426. NBC broadcast a selection of Christmas carols from speakers placed around the tree from 9 p.m. until midnight."President Lights Capital Yule Tree Before Thousands." The Washington Post December 25, 1927. In 1928, the time of the lighting ceremony was again moved to 8 p.m."Coolidge Ushers In Nation's Christmas As He Lights Tree." The New York Times December 25, 1928. That year, the Christmas lights were replaced completely by colored floodlights."Capital Leads Nation in Yule Season Gayety." The Washington Post December 25, 1928.