The National Christmas Tree is a 95-year old tradition in Washington D.C. The first tree was a nearly 50 foot tall fir tree decked with electric red, white, and green lights on its boughs. President Calvin Coolidge lit the tree in 1923.

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In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower continued the already several decades long tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree. The tree standing in front of the White House was grown and cut in Presque Isle, Maine.

The archives of Maine Memory Network catalog the entire process of cutting down and shipping the tree to Washington D.C. for the tree lighting.

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The National Christmas Tree isn't always a cut tree from an outside location. The National Christmas Tree has been a living tree since the 1970s. This year's tree lighting ceremony in Washington D.C. will feature the Beach Boys, Craig Campbell, Kathie Lee Gifford, and other big names in entertainment. Watch the ceremony on Monday, December 4th on the Hallmark Channel.

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