WASHINGTON — As he presided over the final Christmas tree lighting at the White House, President Joe Biden said Thursday that his wish for the nation now and always was that “we continue to search for the light of freedom and love, kindness and compassion, dignity and decency.”
Biden briefly addressed the crowd who were decked out in heavy winter layers as icy winds and frigid temperatures battered the nation’s capital. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were also in attendance. The tree is located on the Ellipse outside the South Lawn of the White House and is visible from the street.
The 30-foot red spruce came from Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Grayson County, Virginia. It was turned over to the White House on November 15.
It’s the last holiday season before Biden. His wife, Jillhas decorated the White House with whimsical decorations to evoke the “peace and light” of the season. She missed the relief this year because she was in Doha, Qatar, discussing her women’s health initiative.
So Biden himself did the honors and counted down from five before the tree glowed a cheerful bright green from the tip to the base of the trunk. He wished the audience a Merry Christmas before stepping down to take their seats for musical performances.
Biden said the theme reflects the “peace we feel when we pause and reflect on the blessings and light we see when we gather with loved ones and cherish our time together.”
The tree lighting ceremony is an annual tradition. On Thursday, the artists included Trombone Shorty and Trisha Yearwood.
The White House Christmas display includes a towering tree surrounded by an amusement park-style carousel, copper-colored bells and sleigh bells along a hallway, and a ceiling design that mimics snowfall.
That tree came from a farm in Newland, North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene struck earlier this year. Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farmwhich had stood for decades, lost thousands of trees to a mudslide.
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Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.