The first National Christmas Tree was placed on the Ellipse south of the White House in December 1923. The tree was a 48-foot Balsam fir donated by the President of Middlebury College in Vermont. At 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, President Calvin Coolidge walked from the White House to the Ellipse to light the tree from his native state. The tree was decorated with 2,500 electric bulbs in red, white and green, donated by the Electric League of Washington. Music for this first lighting ceremony was provided by a local choir and a “quartet” from the U.S. Marine Band.
This first National Christmas Tree led to the tradition we celebrate today and along the way the tree’s location and the lighting ceremony have changed.
From 1924 to 1933 the tree, renamed the National Community Christmas Tree, was located in Sherman Park, which is south of the Main Treasury Building and southeast of the White House grounds. During these years, simple lighting ceremonies and community singing were accompanied by the U.S. Marine Band. The National Park Service’s responsibilities for the park lands and the tree ceremony began in 1933.
From 1934 to 1938 the National Christmas Tree was located in Lafayette Park on the north side of the White House. In 1939 and 1940, the tree was relocated to a spot just south of the center of the Ellipse. Caroling, choirs and military bands continued to characterize the lighting program entertainment. The years 1941 to 1953 found the National Christmas Tree on the South Lawn of the White House. In 1941, on December 24, only weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill led the lighting ceremony and addressed the crowd.
In 1954 the tree moved back to the Ellipse where it has been located ever since. Also in 1954, the tree lighting became known as the Christmas Pageant of Peace, a celebration conceived by the Washington Board of Trade and the Washington Citizen’s Committee. The tree lighting ceremony moved from its traditional Christmas Eve date to earlier in December and was then followed by three weeks of presentations by community organizations and groups on the stage at the Ellipse.
While the location of the tree in President’s Park and its lighting ceremony program have changed and evolved over the years, the purpose remains the same: our local and national communities coming together to celebrate the season and to share the message of peace.
Old Saint Nick and his elves have brought Santa’s Workshop to the Ellipse and you can visit him this December.
An amazing lineup of talented musicians performs Christmas-time favorites.
GE re-creates elements of traditional past National Christmas Tree designs with modern, high efficiency LED lights
This year marks GE’s 50th year providing the design and lights for the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. This year also marks the 90 lighting of the National Tree. With this in mind, the new lighting design reflects elements of past designs and celebrates these impressive milestones.
The first lighting design for the National Christmas Tree featured very traditional red, green and white colored lights. Since GE’s participation, one of the earliest ornament designs by lighting engineer Alvin Hart, was shaped like a star. This year, as in the past three years, LED technology provides all the lighting. Green and red crystal miniature LED lights are complemented by twinkling warm white LEDs that add shimmer to the design. Star-shaped LED ornaments are adorned with a gold metallic finish. This finish also provides sparkle to the tree’s appearance during the day. The heirloom topper design, used for the eighth consecutive year, was upgraded with commercial grade Tetra®MAX LEDs.
“GE is very proud to be a part of this great, long standing tradition. It is very rewarding to use today’s lighting technology to create a beautiful, energy-efficient design that celebrates the past and symbolizes the hope and promise of the holiday season,” said Mary Beth Gotti, Manager of the GE Lighting Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.
The lighting design for this year’s National Christmas Tree includes approximately 450 LED light strings and 120 star ornaments, for a total of just under 4000 watts. If this same design were to be implemented with standard incandescent holiday lights, approximately 20,000 watts would be required. Over the course of the holiday lighting season, the environmental impact of this energy savings is the avoidance of burning about one ton of coal, and a 4000-pound reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony
Performers for the 2013 National Christmas Tree Lighting will be announced soon!
The 2012 National Christmas Tree Lighting performers included:
- Neil Patrick Harris
- James Taylor
- Jason Mraz
- The Fray
- Colbie Caillat
- Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds
- Phillip Phillips
- Ledisi
- Rico Rodriguez
- Evan Shinners
- U.S. Navy Band Commodores
Watch The On Demand Stream Now!
Old Saint Nick and his elves have brought Santa’s Workshop to the Ellipse and you can visit him this December.
