The regular practice of displaying a Christmas tree on the U.S. Capitol grounds is relatively recent.

Records at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) show correspondence from 1919 indicate that a Christmas tree was purchased that year. However, it was not until 1964 that a definite procedure was initiated and a tree-lighting ceremony established.
In 1964, House Speaker John W. McCormack suggested to J. George Stewart, eighth Architect of the Capitol, that a Christmas tree be placed on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. A live 24-foot Douglas fir was purchased for $700 from Buddies Nurseries of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, and was planted on the West Front Lawn. Each year through 1967 this tree was decorated and a tree-lighting ceremony was held.
Unfortunately, a combination of factors, including a severe wind storm in the spring of 1967 and root damage, caused the tree to die in 1968; it was removed in the same year. The 1968 Christmas tree was made from two white pines from Finksburg, Maryland, and was 30 feet tall; the 1969 tree was a 40-foot white pine from Westminster, Maryland. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the trees since 1970.
Preparing the Christmas tree is a true team effort for the AOC. We work around the clock from tree selection to arrival, decoration and lighting. 🎄
Tree Details
Information about individual trees is listed below. Height is provided as measured in the forest by the National Forest Service.
Year | Tree | Height | Source | State |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | TBA | TBA | Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest | Nevada |
2024 | Sitka Spruce | 80 feet | Tongass National Forest | Alaska |
2023 | Norway Spruce | 63 feet | Monongahela National Forest | West Virginia |
2022 | Red Spruce | 78 feet | National Forests in North Carolina | North Carolina |
2021 | White Fir | 84 feet | Six Rivers National Forest | California |
2020 | Engelmann Spruce | 55 feet | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests | Colorado |
2010s
Year | Tree | Height | Source | State |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Blue Spruce | 60 feet | Carson National Forest | New Mexico |
2018 | Noble Fir | 80 feet | Willamette National Forest | Oregon |
2017 | Engelmann Spruce | 79 feet | Kootenai National Forest | Montana |
2016 | Engelmann Spruce | 80 feet | Payette National Forest | Idaho |
2015 | Lutz Spruce | 74 feet | Chugach National Forest | Alaska |
2014 | White Spruce | 88 feet | Chippewa National Forest | Minnesota |
2013 | Engelmann Spruce | 88 feet | Colville National Forest | Washington |
2012 | Engelmann Spruce | 73 feet | White River National Forest | Colorado |
2011 | Sierra White Fir | 65 feet | Stanislaus National Forest | California |
2010 | Engelmann Spruce | 67 feet | Bridger-Teton National Forest | Wyoming |
2000s

Year | Tree | Height | Source | State |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Blue Spruce | 85 feet | Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest | Arizona |
2008 | Subalpine Fir | 78 feet | Bitterroot National Forest | Montana |
2007 | Balsam Fir | 55 feet | Green Mountain National Forest | Vermont |
2006 | Pacific Silver Fir | 65 feet | Olympic National Forest | Washington |
2005 | Engelmann Spruce | 60 feet | Santa Fe National Forest | New Mexico |
2004 | Red Spruce | 70 feet | George Washington and Jefferson National Forest | Virginia |
2003 | Engelmann Spruce | 65 feet | Boise National Forest | Idaho |
2002 | Douglas Fir | 70 feet | Umpqua National Forest | Oregon |
2001 | White Spruce | 74 feet | Ottawa National Forest | Michigan |
2000 | Colorado Blue Spruce | 65 feet | Pike National Forest | Colorado |
1990s
Year | Tree | Height | Source | State |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | White Spruce | 70 feet | Nicolet National Forest | Wisconsin |
1998 | Fraser Fir | 50 feet | Pisgah National Forest | North Carolina |
1997 | Black Hills Spruce | 63 feet | Black Hills National Forest | South Dakota |
1996 | Engelmann Spruce | 75 feet | Manti-LaSal National Forest | Utah |
1995 | Douglas Fir | 60 feet | Plumas National Forest | California |
1994 | Balsam Fir | 58 feet | Green Mountain National Forest | Vermont |
1993 | White Fir | 65 feet | San Bernardino National Forest | California |
1992 | White Spruce | 62 feet | Chippewa National Forest | Minnesota |
1991 | Blue Spruce (live) | 60 feet | Carson National Forest | New Mexico |
1990 | Engelmann Spruce | 65 feet | Routt National Forest | Colorado |
1989-1964
Quick Facts
- Where is the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree coming from this year?
The 2025 tree will be selected from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The Humboldt-Toiyabe is the largest national forest in the continental United States with 6.3 million acres. This is the first time a tree has come from Nevada.
- How is the tree selected?
The tree is selected by the AOC's Executive Director of Capitol Grounds and Arboretum in the summer, usually during the month of July.
- When are the arrival and lighting ceremony dates?
The tree arrives at the West Front Lawn in mid-November accompanied by a police escort and is received by the Architect of the Capitol during a ceremony.
The tree lighting ceremony is hosted by the Speaker of the House, usually in the last week of November or first week of December.
Specific 2025 ceremony dates will be announced in the fall.