2019 Colorado State Capitol Holiday Tree

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DENVER - Dec. 5, 2019 - Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera presided over the Colorado State Capitol Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. With a color guard by the Colorado National Guard and performances by the "Governor's own" 101st Army Band, Colorado State Piper First Sergeant James DeGeorge, and cellist Russick Smith, the ceremony celebrated the holiday season in Colorado.

On view through Friday, January 3, 2019, the tree is decorated and dedicated in honor of our Colorado State Flag. Designed by Andrew Carlisle Carson and adopted by an act of the Colorado General Assembly on June 5, 1911, our flag represents natural features in Colorado — blue representing the sky, white representing the snowcapped mountains, red representing the red colored earth, and gold representing the abundant sunshine above and the gold mined below.

The 2019 Colorado State Capitol Tree marks the beginning of a new holiday tradition at the Capitol honoring the Symbols, Emblems, and Western Spirit that represent our Great State. Each holiday season from 2019-2026, the Colorado State Capitol Tree will highlight many unique facets of the Great State we call home.

The tree itself is a sub-alpine fir, donated by the Colorado State Forest Services, Fort Collins District, and harvested at 8,500 feet on the Bull Mountain parcel, Cherokee Park, in Larimer County on State Trust Land as part of wildfire mitigation and forest health efforts.

Many thanks to the agencies and individuals who made the event possible.

A decorated holiday tree as tall as the second story balcony inside a rotunda at the Capitol building.

Photo by Suzanne Keim

A holiday Menorah with eight unlit candles on a table next to the Capitol's holiday tree. People are seated in chairs for the ceremony.

Photo by Amanda Robinson