The first living tree was commemorated with a bronze plaque by John W. Dixon, President of the Christmas Pageant of Peace Committee, Inc. The 214-pound plaque was designed by Giannetti's Studio, Washington, DC. President Gerald Ford lit the tree from 1974-1976. The 45-foot Colorado Blue Spruce, which had been the National Christmas Tree since 1973 was dying and this would be its last year.
A 30-foot Colorado Blue Spruce was transplanted on the Ellipse to replace the previous tree. The tree, still in use today, came from a farm in York, Pennsylvania, the gift of Mrs. William E. Myers who had received it as a Mother's Day gift 15 years earlier. President Jimmy Carter lit the tree from 1977-78. The nation's Christmas tree was not lit during the 1979 and 1980 holiday seasons, except for the top ornament. This gesture was made by President Carter in honor of Americans being held hostage in Iran. When the hostages finally were released on President Ronald Reagan's Inaugural Day Jan. 20, 1981, the tree was decorated and lit just as the aircraft carrying the former hostages home cleared Iranian airspace.
In 1981, for security reasons, following the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, the President lit the tree remotely from the East Room of the White House. The President and Mrs. Reagan lit the National Christmas Tree remotely from the South Portico of the White House each year of his presidency.
For the first time in nine years the President lit the National Christmas Tree standing on the Ellipse. President and Mrs. Bush illuminated the tree with thousands of red, white and blue lights and then watched the festivities from a glass-encased box near the stage. In 1990, trees grown on reclaimed surface coal mine land were used to form the Pathway of Peace comprised of 57 small scotch pine trees representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton participated each year in the Pageant of Peace and enjoyed a variety of celebrity performances. In 1994, a garden-sized model railroad display around the tree was added for the first time to the customary exhibits of creche, reindeer and yule log. The Pageant of Peace continued on the Ellipse with nightly entertainment through Dec. with the tree lit through Jan. 1.
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush participated in the Pageant of Peace and lit the National Christmas Tree from 2001-2008. In 2001, the children of victims of the September 11th terrorist attack on the Pentagon assisted in lighting the tree.
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, participated in the Pageant of Peace and lit the National Christmas Tree in 2009. The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has evolved into one of Washington DC’s most popular events.
Sustained winds at 25 mph and wind gusts up to 50 mph snapped the National Christmas Tree at about the four-feet above ground level. The 42-foot Colorado blue spruce had been in its current location for more than 32 years, having been transplanted to the Ellipse in October 1978 from the Myers family farm located just outside of York, PA. The National Park Service transplanted a new tree on the Ellipse in the spring of 2011.
The tree has died due to transplant shock and was removed by the National Park Service. A replacement will be planted in October 2012.
