The 85th annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree began with a prelude by the Army band under the direction of Col. Thomas Rotondi Jr. and an invocation by Rev. Dr. Luis Leon of St. John’s Church in Washington.
The Enterprise High School Encores of Enterprise, Ala., a school devastated by tornadoes last year, were invited to sing at the event.
Guest performers were mostly of the country variety, including the Virginia-born Phil Vassar and Rissi Palmer, who recently appeared on “CMT Insider.” There was also Broadway star Jon Secada and Step Afrika, the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping.
Perhaps the highlight of the musical performances was 4-year-old Kaitlyn Maher, who was the youngest person to ever make it into the top 10 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and has since appeared on “The Today Show” and “Access Hollywood.” She performed the Faith Hill single “Where Are You, Christmas?” from 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” which brought infectious smiles to the several thousand in attendance.
The ceremony ended with words from Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, who spoke about the importance of our national parks.
Before President Bush and two children whose fathers are currently serving in the military lit the tree, Bush spoke.
“The story of Christmas brings joy to families, comfort to communities and hope to all those around the world,” he said.
Every evening from now until Jan. 1, the tree will be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. Musical groups will perform nightly on the Ellipse stage from now until Dec. 23, on weeknights from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 4 to 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 10 performers include the Olney Elementary School Chorus from Olney, Md., and the Washington Redskins Marching Band.
The lighting of the tree was sponsored by General Electric, The Johnson Group, Guest Services Inc. and Underwriters Laboratories.
The National Christmas Tree is a Colorado blue spruce planted on the Ellipse in 1978. It was 15 years old and 30 feet tall when it arrived in D.C. and since has since grown to nearly 42 feet, according to the National Park Service’s Pageant of Peace program.
The first National Tree was placed on the Ellipse in December 1923. President Calvin Coolidge lit the tree, with music provided by a local choir and a Marine Corps band quartet.
For more information on the tree, visit www.thenationaltree.org.