Everybody knows about the annual lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree located at a famous landmark/residence in Washington, D.C., but did you know there are plenty of other well-decorated trees in the nation’s capital too? Here’s a look at some:
U.S. Capitol Tree
Just blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue is the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. This year’s tree came from Nevada and features ornaments from the Silver State. One of the noticeable things about it this year is that it’s a narrow tree, but it certainly is tall. Don’t let the photos fool you. It does look more full in-person than the images here and elsewhere online would lead you to believe.
CityCenter DC
Yes, the city joins in on the holiday celebration too with its tree near CityCenter in downtown D.C., a couple blocks away from Metro Center.
Canadian Embassy
This tree has character and a very photogenic position in this portico of the Canadian Embassy, also on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Union Station
I didn’t have a chance to get back and capture this tree in an image with my camera, so the best I can produce this season was this iPhone photo during the holiday market a few weeks ago. This Christmas tree is an annual gift from Norway. The tradition started in 1997 and more information can be located here.
About the photos:
Another gallery that makes use of star filters. Slow shutter speeds, high ISO and an aperture that’s slow enough to get as much of the tree in focus as possible. The star filters are way more noticeable in these images because there are other sources of light like the streetlamps that are bright and really max out the effect — even though these sources aren’t the intended ones.
There are plenty more trees to discover in the district every December, like the one down at The Wharf on one of the docks along the Potomac River. Or even a little further outside the district like the one at Alexandria’s City Hall in Old Town. Honestly, it’s probably too many to see in one evening, especially if you’re already partaking in another event like Zoo Lights at the National Zoo, or Winter Wonderfest at Nationals Park.
