Alaskans came together in a year-long effort to provide the first tree from Alaska to stand tall as the “People’s Tree.” The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree currently gracing the West Lawn of our nation’s Capitol traveled more than 4,400 miles from the Chugach National Forest by land and sea by the generosity of Alaskans who provided everything from ornaments to cranes to trucks, and many months of their time and care. You can see the labor of love Alaskans shared in the thousands of ornaments on the tree that were made out of recyclable materials and creative flair from people across the state. 

I would like to recognize the many Alaskans who made this undertaking possible and show my appreciation for the beautiful result. Thank you to the children, students, and community members who for the past year joined in this effort by showing your pride for Alaska in making such beautiful and unique ornaments. Thank you to all the artists who created ornament designs that were used as inspiration. I want to extend my gratitude to the groups and individuals who created Alaska-themed tree skirts for the smaller companion trees from the Tongass that are proudly placed in offices throughout the Capitol, including my own. Additionally, I want to thank the individuals and businesses that partnered in this effort with the U.S. Forest Service to showcase Alaska and our tremendous resources. It was no small task and these efforts do not go unnoticed.   

It is an incredible honor that our state provided the U.S. Capitol with its Christmas tree this year. Our 74-foot Lutz spruce shines brightly as a beacon of the holiday spirit for our nation and Alaska takes up no small part of that spotlight. 

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski