US Capitol Christmas Tree from New Mexico

It used to be we simply walked from our tiny condo over to the Capitol to see all the sights - including the Christmas tree. We attended a few tree lighting sessions when we first moved to DC thirteen years ago. But, we moved to northern Virginia this year so we either need to drive in or take metro for the ten mile jaunt. It was worth the move, but some traditions remain. So a couple of weeks ago we drove in to town and visited all the Christmas places we became accustomed to starting with the US Botanical Garden. We parked in our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill. Passing through Bartholdi Park was something we did almost daily. So we visited the trains, the poinsettias, the main entryway with monuments made from plant materials. Then we stopped in the front of the building to gaze in to the huge silver balls and made our way towards the Capitol building across the street. We didn’t get to see the tree arrive in town this year, but at least we got to see it up close and fully decorated with ornaments made in New Mexico. It was eerily quiet - there were several minutes when it was just me and my husband. We may come back in the evening before Christmas to see the lighted tree - maybe Sunday evening when the traffic is a little more tolerable.