View source for California Capitol Christmas Tree

[[File:Happy Holidays from the California Capitol.jpg|thumb|The illuminated tree in front of the California Capitol during the 2012 holiday season in Sacramento, California]]
The '''California Capitol Christmas Tree''' (known as the '''California Capitol Holiday Tree''' between 1999 and 2003) is an annually erected [[Christmas tree|decorated tree]] outside the [[California State Capitol]] in [[Sacramento, California]], [[United States]]. Initiated in 1931,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/11/26/governor-newsom-and-first-partner-siebel-newsom-to-host-90th-annual-california-state-capitol-tree-lighting-ceremony/|title=Governor Newsom and First Partner Siebel Newsom to Host 90th Annual California State Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony|accessdate=December 14, 2021|date=November 26, 2021}}</ref> the tree has been a tradition ever since and is decorated during the second week of December each year.

In December 1999, during his first Christmas season in office, Governor [[Gray Davis]] changed the name of the tree to the '''California Capitol Holiday Tree''', a spokesperson describing this as a name that "more accurately symbolizes the diversity of what the holidays are in California".<ref name="sb">{{cite news |last1=Koseff |first1=Alexei |title=California Capitol latest statehouse to get Nativity scene |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article121207598.html |accessdate=28 September 2020 |date=15 December 2016}}</ref> After the [[2003 California recall]], Gray Davis was replaced with [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], who changed the name back<ref name="sb"/> from the Christmas of 2004. A similar occurrence took place with the [[Capitol Christmas Tree]] in [[Washington, DC]], which took on the "holiday" generic name from 1999&ndash;2005.

==References==
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{{Christmas trees}}
{{Sacramento County, California}}

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[[Category:Individual Christmas trees]]
[[Category:Individual trees in California]]
[[Category:Culture of Sacramento, California]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Sacramento, California]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1931]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Christmas in California]]




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