Hail to the Tree!

A Christmas Riddle: What's 67-feet tall, travels across the country in a custom box escorted by a guard team and 12 vehicles (one just to carry the 5,000+ handmade ornaments) and is cause for one heck of a party on Town Square....all at the cost of $100,000+ dollars? Answer: The Capitol Christmas Tree.

Okay, I must admit that I can't remember ever cheering for a Christmas Tree - but stranger things have happened...especially since our move to Jackson Hole! (Actually, I do remember one year that our tree had fallen over two times and Barry finally rigged it up with fishing line to the built in book cases and the kids and I did cheer that it was "standing"). Anyways, the entire town of Jackson Hole was cheering on a Christmas tree under sunny and warm skies this past Saturday afternoon, as it was paraded into town. This was not just any tree, it is the Capitol Christmas Tree! Yes, for the first time in history, Wyoming was chosen as the state to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree. This is the tree that will be illuminated on the White House Lawn on December 7, 2010 for the holiday season (the Capitol Christmas Tree is one of the two most famous trees in the world, rivaled in fame only by the high-visibility tree at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC).  The Capitol Christmas Tree Celebration, dubbed "Hail to the Tree," was a fabulous reason for all residents to congregate in the Town Square for yet another celebration!

The Capitol Christmas Tree has a very heartwarming story for those from Jackson Hole. The woman who was responsible for choosing the tree from the Bridger-Teton National Forest (located in Jackson Hole) was actually the mother of one of Barry's colleagues at Rocky Mountain Bank. Sandra Seaton was a 62 year-old, life-long resident of Jackson Hole and 27-year employee of the U.S. Forest Service. "She was excited at the thought of a little town producing something as big as the Capitol Christmas Tree." She chose the 67-foot-tall spruce while on an outing with her children and grandchildren last year. The tree is meant to represent Wyoming, but to Seaton’s family and friends, it also is a memorial to a woman who loved her job, Jackson, Christmas and the trees. On Jan. 21, Seaton, had a heart attack at work. She thought it was from walking to work in the cold air. Doctors at the hospital flew her to Idaho Falls. She died during surgery. Her death stunned her family. In September, family members received another surprise. The Forest Service called to let them know Seaton’s chosen tree had been selected to serve as the Christmas tree at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.  “In the middle of this horrible, horrible, dark storm, there was some light,” Jeanna Seaton said. “I’m not sure there is something grand enough to honor my mother, but this tree comes close.”



The Capitol Christmas Tree standing in the
Bridger-Teton National Forest 11/6/2010

 

Jackson Hole Mounted Police Patrol

 The tree was harvested from the forest @ 5:00 a.m. in the morning on Saturday and prepared for its grand entrance to Jackson Town Square. The parade included mounted police, boy/girl scouts, Rodeo Queen Royalty, the Jackson Hole Community Band and school choirs. And in a nod to Wyoming heritage, members of the Northern Arapaho tribe performed a tree blessing ceremony. Hot chocolate and cookies were provided by the culinary class from the High School, although the warm temperatures drove many attendees into the local ice cream shop on the square!  

The Million Dollar Cowboy
Welcoming the Capitol Christmas Tree



  


Not everyone can get their picture with the
Capitol Christmas Tree before it gets to the capitol!

Following the ceremonies, the Jackson Hole Iditarod Team made their way into town (pulling an ATV instead of a sled due to the lack of snow) to usher the tree to the Rodeo grounds so that it could be boxed for its cross country trip to Washington DC.

Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dogs

Just a side note - this Iditarod team is used for Dog Sled tours during the winter months to the Hot Springs just south of town. So, if you visit us in the winter we could enjoy a fun afternoon of mushing and relaxing in the hot springs....another good reason to consider a winter visit! (Side note - Looking at this picture reminds me of the way our new dog Bella looked the first time we put a leash on her - I swear she could have pulled an ATV all by herself! Luckily she is responding very well to her dog training - thankfully, no Iditarod in her future).

Another good reason to visit the Nelsons this Winter in Jackson Hole - American Express Travel has named Jackson Hole as the "top romantic ski destination"; one of only six ski awards given out by the company. So think about it....
1. visiting the Nelsons (always a party)
2. Dog mushing
3. AND the most romantic ski destination....
all this in one place - book it danno!

SNOW REPORT:
We have received phone calls and emails from concerned friends/relatives about the weather. I am happy to report (although I am probably the only person in Jackson Hole NOT praying for a blizzard) that we have not gotten the predicted snowfall in the valley yet. Whatever news reports covered the story about the storm, they were not talking about JH. I know that the mountains are getting plenty of snow, but our day consisted of intermittent rain and mild temperatures. In fact, Bella and I enjoyed a beautiful long run this morning. We are forecast to get snow over the next few days, but don't worry about us...we have already retained a snow removal company to take care of our driveway and Barry placed our snow poles in the driveway tonight (something new to us - but I guess that it becomes difficult to find streets/driveways around here)!
So we are ready and waiting for the next big adventure! In the meantime another sign that is downtown that always makes me smile (and is a reminder that I live in the Wild West):