We recently got home from our second visit with our daughter and her husband who now live in Maryland. They are still transitioning from the wilderness of Bethel, Alaska to the 24/7 human rat race of Washington, DC. Because none of us have ever seen it, we decided to check out the National Christmas Tree.

 

I wasn’t sure what to expect but after taking in the whole display, I feel it’s a remarkable reflection of the United States of America. Along with its lights and giant wrapped packages are smaller individual trees representing all 50 states and US territories. For me, this was an amazing “bucket list” experience. 

The National Christmas Tree is fantastic on its own but so are the State and Territory Trees. Each individual State tree consists of decorations created by a particular entity within that State. For example, Tri-Valley High School of Colton provided the ornaments on the South Dakota State Tree. Each State’s Tree ornaments had to
relate to a particular theme and the Try-Valley Students chose “The Natural Beauty of South Dakota”. Seeing this really made me very happy.

 

As divided as things in this Country seem to be, we can still come together to create, enjoy, and admire something where everyone is included. We hope during this holiday season you have the chance to include everyone, create hope where ever you are, and enjoy the world around us. It’s pretty terrific!

 

Take Care, God Bless, and may 2024 be a year of optimism and wonderful possibilities.