National Christmas Tree lighting used to be only near Christmas

[Santantonio]

Maybe you've heard about the National Christmas Tree Lighting taking place next week by now.

It got me thinking... I thought it used to be lit LATER, closer to Christmas. I was right.

So, I looked into it and you can also...
https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/national-christmas-tree-history.htm

Seems that the commercialization of Christmas (and other holidays) has really crept up on us over the years and decades.

From 1923 - 1952, the tree was ALWAYS lit only on Christmas Eve.


Eisenhower then began lighting it a little sooner, mostly the 23d, but some in the late teens of the month. Kennedy followed suit, being the 17th and 20th.
Johnson started to also, but then in 1966 hit a new earliest lighting date of the 15th, which must have been intentional because it stayed on the 15th or 16th
until Nixon. Nixon changed nothing, it was always the 16th. Ford was even later, being the 16th, 17th, and 18th.

So, we're still talking about lighting the tree during that week of Christmas.

It wasn't until 1979 that Carter lit the tree on the 13th. But still, this wasn't intentional, as in 1980, he lit it on the 18th.

Reagan went 13th-17th, until 1985, when a new earliest lighting took place on December 12th. Followed by the 11th in 1986.

So, by now, the trend of pushing it further away from actual Christmas is establishing itself... and in 1987, he lit it on December 7th.

Let's think about latest dates for the lighting since that; Reagan, 1988, the 15th. Bush, 10th-13th; Clinton - 4th - 11th.

It's really getting out of hand now, lighting the tree on the 4th in 1997. His latest lighting was the 11th in 2000.

A new record for earliest arrived in 2005, when Bush lit the tree on December FIRST. Geez, go shopping people ! Like he told us after 9/11.
All his other lightings were first week of December, and Obama basically dittoed him.

Trump. Lights his first tree in NOVEMBER. 30th. Then, the 28th. then 5th (Dec), then November again, the 30th.
Biden has maintained Trump's dates, from last day or two of November - early days of December.

There you go. Somehow, I still would rather see the tree lit around actual Christmastime.

[Heinrich]

Half the houses around me were decorated this past weekend. That's our society. Most want the Peace and Joy of The Christ Child without knowing the proper rubrics.

[Melkite]

It should be lit on Dec. 6th and remain lit until at least Jan. 6th.