WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCHS) — A little piece of the Mountain State is playing a big role in holiday celebrations in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was officially lit. The ceremony was livestreamed Tuesday evening.
Every year for the holiday season, a huge Christmas tree is displayed outside the nation's capitol and this year. West Virginia was selected to provide that tree.
"If you don't know, this tree has traveled more miles through West Virginia than many of us have all over the state and it was greeted by many West Virginians," U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said.
A timber sports world champion and a fifty-year veteran of the national forest harvested the tree. Afterwards, it traveled through many towns in the state before getting to the nation's capitol.
More than 5,000 decorations adorn the 63-foot Norway spruce, each one made by West Virginians.
The Richwood High School Thundering Lumberjack Band performed holiday tunes before fourth grader Ethan Reese from Beverly Elementary read his winning essay. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin personally called him with the news earlier this year.
"I'm just totally impressed by your knowledge and also of your heritage from your grandparents, great grandparents all the way down to your parents and the way you basically truly live in West Virginia and use every beautiful part of our state you so eloquently wrote in your essay and that's why you won," Manchin told Reese.
Ethan Reese read his essay to the crowd at the capitol and got a huge round of applause.
The capitol Christmas tree will be on display through the New Year.