Let there be light! Gov. Doug Ducey hits switch on Capitol Christmas tree

PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey flipped a switch in the lobby of the executive tower Monday morning, lighting the Capitol Christmas tree and officially kicking off the holiday season.

“Whatever we celebrate, wherever we celebrate, and whatever religion we practice, however we choose to spend Christmas and ring in the new year, we are blessed to be doing so in the most peaceful, safest and freest country on earth,” Ducey said during the ceremony.

The Capitol #Christmas tree is officially lit! pic.twitter.com/vX5yaXCv3h

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) November 30, 2015

Ducey noted this is the fourth year that a live tree from an Arizona forest was used to mark the holidays within the state capitol.

“This year, we went deep into Coconino National Forest — the north side of the San Francisco peaks, to be specific — and, as you can imagine, this tree didn’t get here on its own, and hauling it to our lobby was no easy feat,” he said. “This all took a lot of manpower, effort, and energy to make happen, but the end result here really is tremendous, and will be truly appreciated by everyone who walks through these hallways over the next several weeks.

Children from the Sylvestre S. Herrera Elementary School in Phoenix provided the musical backdrop for the tree lighting ceremony.

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