National Christmas Tree

 

National Christmas Tree lighting event, 2023.

NPS / Kelsey Graczyk

Watch the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony

On television/streaming:

The televised broadcast of the 2024 ceremony airs Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. EST/PST on CBS.

About the National Christmas Tree

The centerpiece of this season’s celebration is the cut National Christmas Tree, a 35-foot red spruce from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia.

The beloved tradition of the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony began Christmas Eve in 1923 when President Calvin Coolidge lit a 48-foot Balsam Fir from Vermont decorated with 2,500 red, white, and green electric bulbs. Learn more about the history of the National Christmas Tree.

 

Student ornament display, 2019

NPS / Liz Macro

Visit the National Christmas Tree and the student ornament display

The National Christmas Tree is located south of the White House on the Ellipse. A collection of 58 trees with student-designed ornaments will represent the United States' 56 states and territories, and schools managed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of Defense Education Activity. There is no fee to visit either attraction.

The site will be open daily from December 7 through January 1. The trees will be lit at sunset each evening.

Hours

• Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Friday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.