The 2023 Capitol Christmas Tree shines brightly in Washington, D.C., moments after being lit by Ethan Reese, a Beverly Elementary fourth-grader, Tuesday evening.

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Beverly Elementary student Ethan Reese, at right, is flanked by U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and his wife Kelly during the lighting ceremony for the 2023 Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. Tuesday evening.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Introduced as “the pride of West Virginia,” Ethan Reese, a fourth-grader from Beverly Elementary School, switched on the lights for the 2023 Capitol Christmas Tree during a special ceremony Tuesday evening.

Mike Johnson, the U.S. Speaker of the House, and his wife, Kelly, stood beside Reese as he lit the 63-foot Norway spruce, that was harvested earlier this month from the Greenbrier Ranger District in the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County.

The ceremony took place on the West Front Lawn of the Capitol.

“Welcome to the Capitol,” Speaker of the House Johnson said during the ceremony. “Thank you to everyone, including our colleagues for joining us here tonight.

“What a fun event. I tell you what, you West Virginians are pretty tough folks! This is pretty cold out here,” Johnson noted.

“I want to give a special thank you to the West Virginia delegation. Sen. Manchin and Sen. Capito, and Rep. Mooney and Rep. Miller, for being here. Thank you for sharing a small piece of your state’s abundant beauty with us in Washington,” he added.

“We are public servants and stewards of the American people, and this tree represents so much of what makes America great. It was cultivated and harvested from a National Forest, it set forth for viewing in an array of communities across the country, and now it will be displayed for all of America to see right in front of the People’s House. … This tree is truly the People’s Tree.”

Johnson called Reese “the pride of West Virginia” while introducing him. Reese came to the podium and read aloud his award-winning essay from the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest. Reese then seemed anxious to turn the switch.

“He wants to light the tree,” Johnson said with a laugh. “We’re gonna do that! What a great representative for West Virginia! That was awesome, buddy!”

Reese then counted down “5,4,3,2,1…” and lit the tree, to the applause of the crowd.

The tree is adorned with ornaments made by the Shawnee Tribe and by children across West Virginia.

The tree will now be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. each evening through Jan. 1.