A little—OK, a lot of—rain didn't stop Speaker Ryan and hundreds of others from around the country from kicking off the Christmas season. From the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, the 2016 Capitol Christmas Tree lit up the sky, where it will continue to do so every evening through Christmas night.
1. Toys for Tots // Speaker Ryan presents a Packers toy to the Marine Corps Liaisons to the House of Representatives for their 6th annual Toys for Tots Collection Day.
2. Wisconsin Proud // These Marines, who all hail from Speaker Ryan's home state of Wisconsin, enjoyed the tree lighting ceremony from the Speaker's balcony at the U.S. Capitol.
3. A Student's Poem // Isabella Gerard, a fifth-grader from the same state as the tree itself (Idaho), reads a poem to highlight the importance of our national forests.
4. All Lit Up // Speaker Ryan and Isabella marvel at the beauty of the Capitol Christmas Tree with the backdrop of the newly restored Capitol dome.
5. The People's Tree // Just as Congress is the People's House, so too is the Capitol Christmas Tree the people's tree.
Click here to watch the full lighting ceremony on YouTube.