Charlie Brown, you might as well stay home.
This tree will need to stand somewhere between 60 and 70 feet tall, be arrow-straight and densely covered from every angle. It might be a spruce, maybe a Douglas fir or even a ponderosa pine.
But one thing is for sure - this time next year, a small army will be carefully covering this perfect Montana tree with lights and thousands of handcrafted ornaments in preparation for that magic moment that happens but once a year.
Sometime during that first week of December, one lucky soul will step forward and flip the switch on the Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., and officially mark the beginning of the holiday season.
But there's so much that needs to happen between now and then.
The effort officially gets under way Thursday at the state Capitol rotunda from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. during a public celebration hosted by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
The Capitol Christmas Tree 2008 Campaign kickoff is being held in conjunction with the Montana Capitol Christmas Open House that features 56 Christmas trees decorated with handmade ornaments created by schoolchildren from each of Montana's counties.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Montana to the nation,” Schweitzer said. “It is an honor to have Montana chosen as the host state for the 2008 national Christmas tree.”
The tradition of asking a national forest to provide the “People's Tree” - as the Capitol Tree is often called - dates back to 1970. Each year since then, a different national forest and the state in which the forest is located are asked to provide the tree and all the trimmings.
Bitterroot National Forest public affairs officer Nan Christianson said it's not clear yet who offered up the idea of the tree coming from this part of the state.
“No one will confess,” Christianson said.
That matters not. When word got out that the Bitterroot National Forest had been selected, people immediately started stepping forward and volunteering to help, she said.
And that's a good thing because there is a lot to do.
While the primary task is to locate that magnificent 60-foot-tall tree for the West Lawn of the nation's Capitol, Montana also must provide 75 smaller trees for congressional offices, agency buildings and organizational headquarters. Montanans are also tasked with creating more than 5,000 handmade ornaments, not to mention some goodies for the communities that will receive the tree as it passes from here to Washington.
So far, Christianson said folks have spotted six possible candidates for the “People's Tree.”
“Three are very strong and three are in the running,” she said.
But there's still time for someone with a good eye and a bit of luck to find one that's even better.
The U.S. Forest Service has put together a Christmas tree finding package to encourage everyone to get involved in the hunt. The package includes a “Biltmore stick,” which is a simple instrument that allows people to estimate the size of a tree by holding it up to their eye after pacing back 100 yards.
The packages are available at the Bitterroot National Forest supervisor's office in Hamilton as well as at each of the district offices. The agency has even set up a test course at each of the locations so people can learn how to operate the equipment before heading into the field.
Besides the Biltmore stick, the package includes a strip of yellow tape embossed with the words “Capitol Tree Nominee.”
“People mark the tree and then come in and tell us where it's at,” Christianson said. “We'll go out and mark with a GPS and make a record of who nominated the tree.”
Sometime in late June or early July, the Capitol architect will arrive with a small entourage and decide which tree is closest to perfection.
National Van Lines and Fontaine Trailer have volunteered to haul the large tree, ornaments and smaller trees back to Washington.
The state also needs to find the 75 smaller trees, between 6 feet and 25 feet tall, to grace other offices around the Capitol.
Christianson said the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation offered to lead that effort. The hopes are that Montana nurseries, private landowners and others will step forward to help.
That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Before next winter, Montanans need to create close to 5,000 handmade 9- to 12-inch ornaments that reflect the treasures found in this state. The ornaments have to be tough enough to withstand the worst wind, sleet and cold that a Washington, D.C., winter can dish out.
“They're going to need to be pretty hardy,” Christianson said
For those who'd like to make something a bit more intricate, there's the need for another 750 or so ornaments to decorate the indoor trees.
Christianson said people are already raising their hands and offering to help.
“About once a day now I get a phone call from someone who says their group would like to help out,” she said. “The snowball is just starting to roll.”
Along the way there's going to be plenty of need for an extra hand packing away ornaments or putting together gift baskets or creating a party favor or two.
“There's really something for everyone,” Christianson said. “There are a lot of jobs that need to be done, and we're grateful for the help.”
A fundraising effort has already raised about a quarter of the $320,000 needed to pay for the project.
“We're looking for sponsors,” she said. “Most of what's been raised so far has been in-kind services. We do need to raise some money for some specific expenses like the expense-paid trip for one lucky young person.”
Ornament builders ages 5 to 19 can enter their names in a drawing for a chance to go with their parents to the Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony next December. In the past, it's not been uncommon for a person from the state where the tree originates to be asked to flip the switch.
This year, the tree lighting ceremony will be held on Dec. 5. The tree is from Vermont.
“People have told me that it's one of the most magical moments of the Christmas holiday,” Christianson said.
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at pbackus@ missoulian.com.
Search is on
Want to learn more about the search for next year's Capitol Christmas Tree? Go to www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/xmas_tree/index.shtml. If you want to find out how you can help, call Nan Christianson at 363-7113.
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