Capitol Christmas Tree

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The tree has been a tradition since 1964

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was lit by House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday, Dec. 2, on the Capitol’s West Front Lawn.

Aaron Urban, a 10-year-old from Linthicum, Md., helped with the lighting.

This year's tree is a white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minn. It was harvested on October 29, 2014, and made stops in nearly 30 communities on its way to Washington, where it arrived at the Capitol on Friday, Nov. 21.

The tree is decorated with about 10,000 ornaments, handcrafted by children and others from Minnesota communities as a gift from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes."

The Capitol Christmas Tree has been a tradition since 1964. The tree will be lit from nightfall until 11 p.m. each evening through January 1, 2015.