In 1923, families gathered around the radio to listen as President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree. Only imaginations brought the ceremony, and the tree located in what is now President’s Park, to life. Eighty-nine years later, families are still gathering to witness the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, but 21st century technology is giving them a front-row seat.
GE Lighting, in conjunction with the National Park Foundation, an official charitable partner of America’s national parks and the National Park Service, invites families to gather around the laptop to watch as the National Christmas Tree come to life. A live stream of the ceremony will be broadcast at www.thenationaltree.org.
GE Lighting has been designing the National Christmas Tree, and contributing its lighting and decorations for 49 years. The design process usually begins only a few months after the previous year’s lighting on the National Christmas Tree is shut off, often starting in March or earlier.