Capitol Christmas Tree

So... did you know that the 2012 US Capitol Christmas Tree came from my backyard?!?!

OK, well... not the backyard of my house exactly - but it came from the White River National Forest which is just a hop, skip and jump from town and pretty much our personal playground right here in Meeker's "backyard"!

There are so many neat things that came out of preparing this honorable gift to our nation, and I hardly took any pictures of them because I was so immersed in all the activities centering around this tree! Fortunately, there are plenty of photos and videos floating around on Facebook, news stations and the official website of the 2012 Capitol Christmas Tree!

that's the moon in the sky - it was early!!!

I was able to spend the better part of last Friday at Ripple Creek Lodge, 40 miles up into the forest from town, where the tree was standing. The Lodge hosted over 100 people, with a bonfire to keep us warm and plenty of treats and hot coffee! There were a few special guests - Smokey Bear, Santa & Mrs. Claus, U.S. Congressman Tipton (R-CO) - and a few lovely speeches (!) but perhaps my favorite element of the morning was that members of the Ute Tribe were on hand to honor the life of the tree. It was truly amazing to watch the process... 

... and what took all morning I have condensed into 2 1/2 minutes of personal video for you:

In case that merely whets your appetite, there are a few other places to find information on the tree - but here are a couple of quick video links for you!

from Denver's channel 9 news:

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1942704495001

and from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=us_c2#/video/us/2012/11/03/dnt-us-capitol-christmas-tree-picked.kcnc

found a shot of the Mayor with one of Santa's elves!!!

The celebration carried on through the weekend, with a community reception downtown on Friday night to welcome the tree as it pulled in to town, and then a full day of activities and celebrations on Saturday including a 5K run/walk, food and drink vendors, dancing and drumming from the Ute Tribes, a live performance by the Suessical Singers, a live performance of the official Sing4theTrees songwriting contest winner Lindsay Lawler, a display of the official artwork for the Capitol Christmas Tree, a parade of lights, and fireworks to top it all off!

Here are a few pictures from the day and all the festivities:

http://capitolchristmastree2012.org/meeker-co-kicks-off-2012-capitol-christmas-tree-celebration-in-style/

Again, I was especially moved by the participation of the Ute Tribes and their sincerity and openness in sharing some of their culture and inviting the public into their dance circle...

Honestly, it was a fabulous weekend - I was on a "community high" for two days! - and in the midst of all the negative national political propaganda it was so refreshing and inspiring to see a whole community come out to celebrate a "gift to the nation" and share in the joy of fellowship, the spirit of togetherness and the excitement of a once in a lifetime opportunity!

the ONLY picture of Hamp & Sam!
this was late Saturday night after a long day of fun - it was cold, Sam was still shaken from the fireworks, and  Hamp was mad that he couldn't play with his friends anymore!!!!!
But we did manage at least one picture with the tree...