The National Christmas tree succumbed to winds going up to 45 miles per hour on Nov. 28. The 40-foot tree, which was positioned on the Ellipse, located at the front of the White House fell at around 1 p.m.
The tree was mounted on Nov. 14, just to fall over two weeks later. Coming in from Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, The Norway Spruce became a replacement for the previously used tree that was placed in 2021.
By 6 p.m. the tree was upright with the use of a crane. There was not any significant damage done to the tree, lights or the ornaments decorating the tree.
This, however, was not the first time the National Christmas tree had issues this year alone. Previous to the toppling, the tree had already been replaced once due to an unfortunate development of a common tree fungus. This was also not the first time that the Christmas tree had fallen victim to strong winds, also toppling back in 2011 after similar weather conditions.
The long-standing tradition of a National Christmas tree traces back to exactly 100 years ago in 1923. The first National Christmas tree was put up during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge. The first tree stood at 48 feet covered with a total of 2,500 lights. Over the years, the National Park Service assisted in providing the National Christmas tree and also finding ways to preserve energy and create sustainable ways to light up the tree such as utilizing LED lights.
The lighting of the Christmas tree begins with a speech from the president and an appearance from his family, and thereafter, the lighting of the tree. People from all over the U.S. come by to witness the spectacular example of the Christmas spirit and love for America upheld in such a long, running tradition.
Although this unexpected event seemed to cut close to the lighting time, the tree was swiftly put back up and lit in front of the white house once more.
