9-Year-Old Nevada Fourth Grader Lights U.S. Capitol’s Christmas Tree

A nine-year-old Nevada student made national headlines after helping House Speaker Mike Johnson light the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, a 53-foot red fir named Silver Belle that arrived in Washington after a 3,000-mile journey from the Carson Ranger District.

Grady Armstrong earned the honor by winning an essay contest, delivering remarks celebrating Nevada’s forests, wildlife, and landscapes while reminding viewers that the state is far more than desert terrain.

More than 22,000 ornaments decorate the tree, which will remain on the West Lawn through the holiday season before its base is milled into lumber that will be repurposed, some of it returning to Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Grady’s appearance highlights both the long-standing Capitol tradition and the environmental care behind selecting, transporting, and reusing America’s most symbolic holiday tree.