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Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Tonight
Bring a parka. And your holiday spirit, if you can find it somewhere
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Ooh, pretty.
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We know how much you love standing outside in chilly weather at night. Who doesn't?! So we assume you'll be glad for a gentle reminder that the Capitol Christmas Tree will be lit tonight. The brouhaha begins at 5 p.m. on the West Lawn of the Capitol -- and you don't need tickets, unlike the doings at that stuffy White House.
Tonight's event includes performances by the United States Marine Band and the Congressional Chorus. A seventh-grader from Surprise, Ariz. will light the tree with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tonight.
This year's tree, an 85-foot blue spruce, arrived from Arizona, and its 6,000 ornaments were made by the children of that state. And considering Arizona's guy lost the 2008 presidential election, it's downright charitable to offer a subtle nod to the Grand Canyon State, right? Right.
Can't make it tonight? It's OK. The tree will be lit nightly from dusk until 11 p.m. through Jan. 1 -- just without the Marine Band, unfortch.
The next NBC Washington PNC Bank Community Shred is scheduled for June 16, 2012.
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