WASHINGTON, D.C. - As my series on the 2007 Capitol Christmas Tree draws to a close with the last two installments in the Advocate's Dec. 13 issue, I'm sitting in my hotel room drying off and thawing from the snow that pelted me this evening while watching Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi light the tree. In a project that last for the better part of the last year, Vermont was chosen to supply the 2007 tree and since the tree was coming from the Green Mountain National Forest in Bennington County, Bennington sponsored the event. My other installments of this series chronicle moments from the project, and my final pieces will detail events as they occurred in the nation's capitol during this whirlwind December day. From all the events to the week-long tree caravan to the lighting ceremony, certain things stood out to me. First, in small-town New England, the sprit of civic community and volunteerism is still very much alive. The Herculean efforts put forth by the Bennington organizing committee, whose influence and members were spread state-wide, was nothing short of remarkable. The fundraising and the sponsorships secured were vital, and the state's support was critical and welcome. Next, the focus on focusing this
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entire project around veterans and visits to veteran's hospitals was a universal theme that was well-planned and very appropriate to an endeavor that had national exposure. Honoring the men and women who have served this country and continue to do so was not only a singular honor, but changed the way many of the people involved in the project will look at veterans for the rest of their lives. Finally, I was reminded yet again of how much I love visiting our capitol, where history, culture, and government all fuse together for a powerful combination that can sometimes overwhelm even a long-time resident. I've been here hundreds of times. I have family and friends here. I lived only hours away years ago. Yet I never tire of standing on The Mall, turning myself around in a slow circle, and feeling the awe of generations weigh down on me. Tonight, Dec. 5, on a snowy December evening that felt more like Montpelier, Vt., than Washington, D.C., Speaker Pelosi, with the help of a young Vermont schoolboy, lit the tree to the glee of the 500 or so onlookers and the national media, and the crowd slowly headed to the a reception for all involved and invited at the Botanic Garden. Behind us, past the towering Vermont tree loomed the floodlit capitol, which dwarfed us all. As we were all reminded by Sen. Patrick Leahy, next to the Statute of Liberty, it is the world's single most recognizable symbol of freedom. Telly Halkias is a freelance writer and editor. E-mail him at tchalkias@aol.com.