Christmas comes early this year

With Christmas music playing in the background, dozens of children and adults filled the Lake Mead Water Safety Center at Boulder Beach this past Friday with the same goal in mind.

That being to create ornaments to hang on the People’s Tree, which is displayed annually on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

And for the first time ever, the tree is coming from Nevada.

It was announced earlier this year that a 53-foot red fir had been chosen for this upcoming holiday season. This particular tree will be coming from the U.S. Forest Service’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. While this particular forest encompasses several districts in Nevada, the tree itself will be coming from the Carson District, near Carson City.

According to the USFS, the red fir grows at higher elevations and is known for its distinctive blue-green needles that point upward and its dense, sturdy branches, perfect for hanging ornaments.

But what’s a Christmas tree without ornaments? That’s where the U.S. Forest Service, in conjunction with the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, hosted an ornament-making event. It’s been one of many events the USFS has hosted over the last several months since the announcement of the tree being from Nevada was made.

The goal is to make 20,000 ornaments, all coming from the Silver State, by Sept. 15. According to USFS forestry technician Natalie Shannon they are on their way to meeting that goal.

“I think this is great,” she said of Friday’s event. “We haven’t been able to get too far into Boulder City yet, so being able to reach this side of town within our Southern Nevada community is super special.”

Asked if she felt pride that the tree was coming from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Shannon smiled and said, “That would be an understatement. It’s a lot of pride, emotions and being honored that I get to be a part of this, especially so early in my career, and that it’s coming from our beautiful Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.”

At an event in May at the Carson Ranger District, Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony not only attended an ornament-making event but participated.

“I haven’t done this since kindergarten, so it’s a lot of fun,” he said in a video posted by the USFS. “We’re not just desert in Nevada. We have some beautiful places with some beautiful trees and we want to showcase Nevada.”

He concluded by saying, “The tree is huge, so we need lots of ornaments. Do your part and make sure Nevada is represented very well.”