A fourth grade student from Nevada helped light the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree on Tuesday evening.
Grady Armstrong, a fourth-grade student from Virginia City, Nev., stands with members of the Nevada Congressional Delegation during the lighting of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., and his wife Kelly Johnson, stand with Grady Armstrong, a fourth-grade student from Virginia City, Nev., as they light the Capitol Christmas tree, a red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana, attends the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 2, 2025. The 53-foot red fir tree is from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, the first time the state has provided the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.
(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 02: The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree stands prior to the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. This year’s tree, a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, marks the first U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the state of Nevada.
(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 02: Ornaments crafted by Nevada residents adorn the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree prior to the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. This year’s tree, a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, marks the first U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the state of Nevada.
(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 02: Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Band perform during the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the West Front Lawn at the U.S. Capitol on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. This year’s tree, a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, marks the first U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the state of Nevada.
(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The Capitol Christmas tree, a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, is illuminated in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Grady Armstrong, a fourth grader from Virginia City, Nevada, helped U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and members of the Nevada Congressional Delegation light the Capitol Christmas tree on Tuesday night.
The tree is a 53-foot-tall red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada. It’s the first time in 61 years that a tree from Nevada is featured on the West Lawn of the Capitol.
The tree traveled roughly 3,000 miles to D.C., and is decorated with about 6,000 LED lights and more than 5,000 ornaments, many of them made by children from across Nevada.
Armstrong earned the honor of lighting the tree after winning an essay contest.
“You don’t have to go far to enjoy Nevada. Right from my school playground, you can look east for hundreds of miles over the mountain ranges that make up the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest,” he said.
“I want the country to know how special Nevada’s public land and national forests are. These lands are full of wonder, from big animals like elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep and even moose,” Armstrong added.
The tree, nicknamed “Silver Belle” as a nod to Nevada being the “Silver State,” will be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. every night through early January 2026.
WTOP’s Alan Etter contributed to this report.
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