As the last in command Christmas As the tree was lit at the White House, Joe Biden said on Thursday that his will for the nation was now and always to “seek the light of freedom and love, kindness and mercy, dignity and shame.”
Biden briefly told the crowd that they were decked out in heavy winter layers as cold winds and cold temperatures hit the nation’s head. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff. The tree is placed in the Ellipse, beyond the South Lawn of the White House, and is visible from the streets.
The 30-foot red came from Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Grayson County, Virginia. Delivered to the White House on November 15.
It’s Biden’s final vacation. The wife, Jill, decorated the White House with colorful toys to evoke the “peace and light” of the season. She missed the launch this year because she was in Doha, Qatar, where she was talking about a women’s health initiative.
So Biden did the honors himself, counting from five before lighting the festive green tree from the top to the bottom of the trunk. He wanted the Christmas crowds before going down to sit in on the musical performances.
Biden said the theme: “We feel peace as we stop and remember our blessings, and the light we see when we gather with loved ones and cherish our time together.”
The tree-lighting ceremony is an annual tradition. On Thursday, Trombone Shorty and Trisha Yearwood were among the performers.
The White House Christmas display will include a towering tree surrounded by an amusement park carousel, colored brass bells and bells in an errant layer, and a camera design that mimics falling snow.
That tree originated from a farm in Newland, North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene struck earlier this year. Cartner Farm’s Christmas tree, which had stood for a decade, lost thousands of trees to mudslides.