Chris Gabrielsen told a reporter that when he hit the switch, there would be a lot of people gasping.
And sure enough, when the fourth-grader stepped up next to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and flipped the switch, that's just what people did.
The lighting ceremony marked the end of a journey that began more than a year and a half ago when the Hamilton-headquartered national forest volunteered to deliver the “people's tree” to the Capitol.
“Thousands of volunteers spent many, many hours working to make this possible,” U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell said at a reception earlier Tuesday. “They have our gratitude for a job well done.”
Tom Tidwell, the agency's Northern Region forester, offered some numbers to show just what the tree meant to people in Montana and across the country.
More than 6,500 handmade ornaments were donated by Montanans (as well as a few from North Dakota and even Japan). More than 9,000 people turned out in different communities that hosted the tree on its 4,280-mile journey to the nation's Capitol. And more than 12,000 people signed banners that adorned the trailer that housed the tree on the trip.
Tidwell said he knew just how important the tree was going to be to people when more than 600 made the trip up Rye Creek in the Sapphire Range to watch the tree-cutting ceremony. Bitterroot National Forester Dave Bull was with him that day.
“I remember Dave turning to me and saying, ‘This really is a big deal,' ” Tidwell told the crowd gathered at the Forest Service chief's reception before the lighting ceremony. Tidwell said thousands of people tracked the tree on its journey across the nation via the Internet.
One man from Ohio wrote that he'd always dreamed of spending a Christmas in the Bitterroot. In a way, that dream came true this year when he joined the Capitol Christmas Tree at one of the stops along the way.
“This year for a few minutes, a Bitterroot Christmas came to me,” the man wrote.
Bull said he couldn't have been more pleased with partnerships that came together to help bring the tree to Washington, D.C.
“After one and a half years of planning and now seeing this beautiful tree in front of the Capitol ... my chest is swelling with so much pride that I'm about to pop these buttons right off this uniform,” Bull said.
Despite the dubious reputation of the subalpine fir among some foresters, Bull said the tree proved to be the perfect choice from the Bitterroot National Forest. The tree was a symbol of what can come from people working together in celebration of this most joyous time of year, he said.
And it should also serve as a reminder of the foresight of the people responsible for setting aside national forests for this nation, he said.
Montana Lt. Gov. John Bollinger took a moment to reflect on the tree as he and his wife, Karen, looked over the thousands of handmade ornaments hanging from its branches.
“At this time that we celebrate the coming of Christ and we all wish for peace, I think it's a symbol of hope for our future,” Bollinger said. “I just love the spirit of Ravalli County. I certainly applaud them their gift to the nation - this beautiful tree.”
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