It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

I'm a sucker for a Christmas tree, or really for all things Christmas (thanks, Mom), so I was perhaps disproportionately excited when I heard that the live evergreen tree destined for the U.S. Capitol was planning a whistle stop in Helena.  The seventy foot tree started in the Kootenai National Forest in western Montana and is making the 3000+ mile journey to Washington, D.C. strapped on the back of a ginormous semi truck.

Since 1970, a different national forest has been selected each year to provide the U.S. Capitol Tree, or "People's Tree."  The tree hasn't come from Montana since 2008. In honor of the event, the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce along with several local businesses and organizations planned a two hour celebration in front of the Montana State Capital. There were cookies, hot cocoa, and carolers from the high school, and both the governor and the mayor spoke. Visitors were invited to sign their names on the tarp covering the tree, and people across the country will continue to add their names as the truck pushes on.

 

So it was a pretty cool event. You know what made it even cooler? My kids' elementary school, which is located about four blocks from the capital, planned to have the ENTIRE SCHOOL walk over to see the tree in a giant single file line. Even better, every kid came with a can of food in hand to donate to Helena Food Share. Even better, Helena Food Share didn't know they were planning this, so they were blown away by the 300+ canned goods brought by 300+ smiling kiddos in brightly colored winter wear. It.was.awesome.

That was a pretty great kickoff to the holiday season. You can read more about the U.S. Capital Tree here and even tracks its progress as it continues to push eastward.

Happy early holidays, all!