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Announcing the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour

Wednesday, October 02, 2019

(En Espagnol) The Carson National Forest, in partnership with the New Mexico Tourism Department and nonprofit organization Choose Outdoors, will bring the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from New Mexico to Washington, D.C. by way of a cross-country tour involving more than 25 communities along the way. Well-wishers will have a chance to sign banners on the sides of the truck, learn more about the Carson National Forest and the great state of New Mexico, purchase U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree merchandise and more.

Beginning Nov.11, the tree’s journey can be tracked in real time online at capitoltreetracker.com hosted in partnership with sponsor Spireon, Inc. Check out the schedule and visit the tree in a community near you!

Monday, Nov. 11
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Carson National Forest Eagle Rock Lake (State Route 38, Questa, NM)
11: 30 a.m. – 12: 30 p.m. Eagle Nest Town Hall (151 North Willow Creek Drive, Eagle Nest, NM)
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Veteran’s Memorial (34 Country Club Road, Angel Fire, NM)
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Taos City Hall (120 Civic Plaza Dr., Taos, NM)

Tuesday, Nov. 12
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Taos Pueblo (120 Veterans Highway, Taos, NM)
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Española Valley Chamber of Commerce (101 Calle de las Españolas #F, Española, NM)
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Chama Town Hall (2994 4th Street, Chama, NM)
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Jicarilla Apache Supermarket Parking Lot (13603 US-64, Dulce, NM)

Wednesday, Nov 13
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Shiprock High School (US-64, Shiprock, NM)
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Bloomfield Elementary School (200 W Sycamore Ave, Bloomfield, NM)
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. St. Francis Assisi Park (State Highway 126, Cuba, NM)
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Santa Fe Plaza (105 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM)

Thursday, Nov. 14
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Forest Service Albuquerque Service Center (4000 Masthead St NE, Albuquerque, NM)
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Civic Plaza (401 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM)
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Gila National Forest, Black Range Ranger District (1804 North Date, Truth or Consequences, NM)

Friday, Nov. 15
8:00 - 8:30 a.m. Smokey Bear Historical Park (118 West Smokey Bear Blvd, Capitan, NM 88316)
10:00. – 11:00 a.m. Mescalero Community Center & Tribal Offices (101 Central Mescalero Ave, Mescalero, NM)
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Otero County Fair Grounds (401 Fairgrounds Rd Alamogordo, NM)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. El Paso Convention Center (1 Civic Center Plaza, El Paso, TX)

Saturday, Nov. 16: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. The Alamo (300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX)

Sunday, Nov 17
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Blue Skies Air Force Village (5100 John D Ryan Blvd, San Antonio, TX)
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Downtown Plaza (710 S Main St Plaza, Georgetown, TX)

Monday, Nov. 18
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Downtown Main Street (113 S 1st St, Lufkin, TX)
5:00 – 7:00 pm. Monroe Civic Center (401 Lea Joyner Memorial Expwy, Monroe, LA)

Wednesday, Nov. 20
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Brent Elementary School (160 4th St, Brent, AL)
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Bass Pro Shops (5900 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Lawrenceville, GA)

Thursday, Nov. 21
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Federal Building Public Park (900 Georgia Avenue Chattanooga, TN)
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Titans Football Stadium (1 Titans Way, Nashville, TN), in partnership with Truckload Carriers Association

Friday, Nov. 22: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Chilhowee Park (3301 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN)

Saturday, Nov. 23: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. White's Travel Center (2440 Raphine Road, I-81/I-64 at Exit 205, Raphine, VA), in partnership with TravelCenters of America

Sunday, Nov. 24: Delivery to Joint Base Andrews (1345 Arkansas Rd, Joint Base Andrews, MD)

*Subject to change. Monitor website for the latest updates.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is made possible with cash and in-kind contributions from companies large and small as well as volunteers locally and across America, who provide vital support of time and resources. Sponsors include Kenworth Truck Company, Wilbanks Trucking Services, LLC, Spireon, Inc., Elvis Duran & Alex Carr, Hale Trailer, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Alaska Airlines, Meritor, Public Service Company of New Mexico, TravelCenters of America, Truckload Carriers Association, Great West Casualty Company, Taos County, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, National Forest Foundation, Christmas Tree Promotion Board, National Press Club and LexisNexis VitalChek Network, Inc.

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Who Gets to Decorate the “People’s Tree”?

Friday, September 20, 2019

Providing 10,000 handcrafted Christmas ornaments to adorn the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree and 70 companion trees is no small feat, but with the help of the community, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is well on its way to achieving that goal! Every year, the Forest Service selects a different national forest to provide the iconic tree and all the trimmings. This year, it will hail from the Questa Ranger District of northern New Mexico’s Carson National Forest, and communities from all over the state are coming together to help deliver a piece of the enchantment of New Mexico, to the rest of the country. The Village of Questa, New Mexico, and their local farmers market are great examples of the overwhelming community involvement that makes the tradition of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree possible.

Nestled among the majestic conifers of the Enchanted Circle sits the small mining community of Questa, New Mexico. Officially founded in 1842, the Village of Questa is in many ways the quintessential northern New Mexican town, while also representing a broader, small-town American, post-industrial march into modernity. The Questa Farmers Market is an expression of that social and economic transition — and a tasty one at that!

With the creation of the market, this tight-knit community along the Red River decided to go back to their farming and ranching roots. From Costilla to Taos, community members come together every Sunday during the summer, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., to sell their fresh confections, produce, meat, flowers, and arts and crafts. Local musician Chris Arellano, a native of Costilla, frequently plays at the market, providing a uniquely New Mexican ambiance with a splash of Nashville thrown in for good measure.

Amid the smell of freshly baked horno-bread, the jubilation of local residents dancing the marcha — a line dance traditionally danced at weddings and celebrations — and the unique rhythms of New Mexican Spanish music, market-goers stop by the Forest Service table to put their personal flair on Christmas ornaments headed to Washington, D.C. Ornament makers punch designs into tin plates and color tree cookies, creating folk-art ornaments that are distinctly New Mexican.

The roots of agriculture in the area run deep, going back before the incorporation of the town. Originally known as San Antonio del Rio Colorado (St. Anthony of Red River), the settlement was later dubbed Questa — an anglicization of the Spanish word cuesta, meaning slope or hill — referring to the hill on which the town is situated. By the time the village was officially founded in 1842, Mexican settlers had been farming the Red River valley for many years; and Native American tribes like the Jicarilla Apache, Kiowa, Ute and Navajo had hunted on the land for generations. It seems fitting that this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree should come from such a place, where agriculture has been an integral part of the local culture for so long.

Commercial mining shaped contemporary life in Questa as well. Molybdenum, a mineral used in the steel production, was mined in the area beginning in 1922. This supported the local economy and provided well-paying jobs for many in Questa and the surrounding communities. When the Chevron Corp. closed the mine in 2014, the resulting economic vacuum put the community’s resolve and resourcefulness to the test.

As the nation’s energy priorities shift and the demands on our natural resources change, small towns across the country are looking for ways to sustain themselves economically. For Questa, this means shifting their focus from mining to tourism and renewable energy. In this vein, Chevron already converted a substantial portion of the tailings facility from the now-defunct molybdenum mine into solar panels, and public meetings are being held for a possible solar farm in Cerro, New Mexico.

On the tourism front, Questa District Ranger Jack Lewis says he is committed to working with the community to help bolster tourism to the forest and surrounding areas. This includes plans to develop multiple trails for hiking, horseback riding and off-highway vehicle use, connecting the Village of Questa with the Town of Red River and its associated tourism.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree and the Questa Farmers Market are just a couple of examples of the exciting new things that are happening around the Enchanted Circle. Learn more about the Questa Farmers Market, trails and things to do in Questa, New Mexico, and U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree updates and events.

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Gov. Lujan Grisham, Carson National Forest announce 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest

Friday, September 13, 2019

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Carson National Forest on Friday announced an essay-writing contest for New Mexico fourth graders as part of the celebration of the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which will come from the Land of Enchantment. The contest winner will have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to join the Speaker of the House of Representatives in lighting the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

Fourth graders from around the state are invited to participate in the contest, writing about why they love New Mexico’s forests and public lands in line with the theme of the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, “Delivering Enchantment!”

Every year, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service selects one lucky national forest to provide the best possible Christmas tree to place on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building. The tradition of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, or the “People’s Tree,” began in 1964, and in 2019 New Mexico will be providing the tree for the third time. This year, the tree will be coming from the Red River area in the Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest.

Ten thousand ornaments have been made by New Mexicans around the state to decorate the tree in Washington, D.C.

The “Every Kid in a Park” initiative invites all U.S. fourth graders and their families to experience our country’s natural treasures, rich history and vibrant culture. In that vein, the USDA Forest Service and Gov. Lujan Grisham invite fourth-grade students across New Mexico to tell us what you think makes our forests and public lands special. Gov. Lujan Grisham will select one winning student essay, whose author will be flown to Washington, D.C., along with a guardian, to attend festivities and light the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree during the first week of December.

The essay prompt was distributed to all New Mexico elementary schools and may also be found here. Submissions are due by October 4, 2019.

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Ornament Drop off

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Calling all ornament makers! When your ornaments are complete, consider dropping off at one of two locations:

Drop off Event:
September 23-26 from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
September 27 between 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Southwestern Regional Office
333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102

Daily
Anytime prior to October between 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Carson National Forest Supervisor’s Office
208 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos, NM 87571

Visit the ornament page for more information on our project needs and suggested themes.

Download ornament drop off information.

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Announcing the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour

Who Gets to Decorate the “People’s Tree”?

Gov. Lujan Grisham, Carson National Forest announce 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest

Ornament Drop off