Christmas Celebrations in Washington and Sacramento

On Dec. 3 President Obama lit up the National Christmas Tree–a tradition that was started in the Coolidge administration in 1923.  On Dec. 12 the Obamas partook in the taping of the TNT “Christmas in Washington” special, a concert that will air on Sunday Dec. 20. Those were only two of the several official events that take place in Washington D.C. during the month of December.

Seeing that so many ceremonies are taking place on the national arena, I went to California’s state capital, Sacramento, in order to see California’s celebrations.  There was poring rain on the day I decided to go to Sacramento, Saturday Dec. 12. The two-hour trip from the North Bay was not fun, but things changed once I got to “the city of trees.”

The main event going on inside the California Capitol Building was a free Christmas music concert by Sacramento City College’s choir. They sang classic holiday songs for a small audience under the building’s beautiful, ornate dome.

Even if choir music is not of your preference, there are several things to see inside the building. One of the features that caught my attention right away were the portraits of all the governors California has had. There were several interesting ones, including the ones of Gray Davis and Ronald Reagan–two politicians with very different careers. One was elected president and the other one was recalled.

From here, it might be interesting to take a look at local city governments to see how they celebrate Christmas. My theory, as of yet unproved, is that the more local you get, the more idiosyncratic and better the celebrations get. Check back for updates.