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National Christmas Tree Lighting on December 1, 2011 |
Calvin Coolidge was the first U.S. President to light the tree, back in 1923; and after bouncing around (Lafayette and Sherman Parks, even the South Lawn of the White House) for three decades, the tree lighting moved back to The Ellipse, where it's been ever since. President Barack Obama (along with the First Lady and their children) will repeat the honors this year, beginning at or about 6:30 PM.
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Santa Claus and President Obama at last year's ceremony |
As you can imagine, demand is high for the annual event. A lottery was held back in October for the 3,000 seated and 14,000 standing-room tickets. Winners were notified by November 1st and received their tickets in the mail. If you were lucky enough to be be selected, congratulations and good luck with the traffic. If your name wasn't picked, you can still watch the ceremony online by clicking here. It will also air on broadcast television (WETA) beginning December 7th and throughout the holidays.
In addition to Harris, the pre-show will include performances by the U.S. Navy Band jazz ensemble, Babyface, The Fray, Jason Mraz, American Idol Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips and 5x Grammy award winner James Taylor. Modern Family's Manny (Rico Rodriguez) will also make a special guest appearance.