Skip to content

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas…

Schank prepares to transport the Capitol Christmas tree to the West Front Friday. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
Schank prepares to transport the Capitol Christmas tree to the West Front Friday. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)

The Capitol Christmas tree has arrived on the Hill. John Schank from Fairbanks, Alaska, drove the 74-foot Lutz Spruce tree to the West Front of the Capitol Friday.  

It’s the first Capitol Christmas tree to come Alaska and also the first tree to be transported by sea, according to the Capitol Christmas Tree website . It was cut on Oct. 27 near Seward, Alaska, and sent on a 4,000-mile expedition by land and by sea. The tree will be decorated with about 2,000 ornaments that reflect the Last Frontier State’s natural and cultural resources made by kids and community groups from Alaska.  

This year’s tree lighting ceremony is scheduled to take place on Dec. 2.  

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 20 - Driver John Schank, from Fairbanks, Alaska, transports the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Friday, November 20, 2015. The 74-foot Lutz Spruce tree is from the Chugach National Forest in Alaska. (Photo By Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
(Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 20 - Workers from the Architect of the Capitol prepare to unload the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Friday, November 20, 2015. The 74-foot Lutz Spruce tree is from the Chugach National Forest in Alaska. (Photo By Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
(Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 20 - The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is unloaded onto the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Friday, November 20, 2015. The 74-foot Lutz Spruce tree is from the Chugach National Forest in Alaska. (Photo By Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
(Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 20 - The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is unloaded onto the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Friday, November 20, 2015. The 74-foot Lutz Spruce tree is from the Chugach National Forest in Alaska. (Photo By Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
(Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)

Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.

Recent Stories

‘Israel is in charge’: Netanyahu made sure Trump’s Iran diplomacy was no picnic

Covert actions key to Israel’s strikes on Iran: Mossad

Striking up — Congressional Hits and Misses

Photos of the week | June 6-12, 2025

AI can sharpen America’s edge in the Pacific — if we move now

Walz and Johnson make misleading claims about bill’s impact on SNAP