This year's Capitol Hill Christmas tree will be from New Mexico and they need your help decorating with all things wonderful about the Land of Enchantment! We told you last week that the Holiday tree on Capitol Hill this year would be coming from New Mexico! While that's exciting enough, turns out the Capitol also needs help from New Mexicans to decorate the tree! There will be not only the large, 70-foot tree displayed on the West Lawn but over 70 smaller trees displayed throughout offices in Washington, D.C. Due to this thicket of greenery, a large number of ornaments and decorations are needed!

The Carson National Forest is hoping to get about 10,000 handmade ornaments from New Mexicans to decorate the trees and they need YOUR help! Here's what they need:

  • 3,5000 Large Ornaments: Will decorate the Capitol Christmas tree outside. Ornaments need to be lightweight and made from durable materials like wood, metal or recycled materials. Ornaments need to be 9-12 inches in size, colorful or reflective. Ornaments must also be weatherproof to stand snow, rain and ice.
  • 6,500 Small Ornaments: Will decorate indoor trees around the Capitol. Ornaments need to be lightweight, 4-6 inches and colorful.

There are plenty of various New Mexican themes people can choose to use to decorate their ornaments but if you're having trouble coming up with some, here are some ideas from the Carson National Forest:

  • Smokey Bear 75th Birthday
  • Mi Casa es su Casa or Adobe houses
  • Traditional Christmas theme
  • New Mexican Christmas- think tamales, luminarias, bischochitos, etc.
  • New Mexican Landscape - the mountains, rivers, wildlife, trees, cactus, flowers, etc.
  • New Mexican Culture - When you think of New Mexico, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Hot air balloons, Roswell/aliens, NM flag, Atomic bomb, red or green chile, etc.
  • Native American Culture - what items, colors, objects, etc. represent the vast Native American population and their rich history in New Mexico
  • Upcycled - Ornaments made from upcycled materials such as CDs, puzzle pieces, etc.

So grab your art supplies, some of your friends and get together for an ornament-making party! You can make and send in as many ornaments as you want. After you finish your ornaments, mail them to:

Carson National Forest
Attn: Capitol Christmas Tree Ornaments
208 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos, NM 87571

All ornaments must be packed and mailed or delivered to the Carson National Forest by October 1, 2019. If you would like more information, contact Leeann Murphy at (575) 758-6212 or Amanda Salazar at (575) 587-2255 at the Carson National Forest. You can also find out more information on their website.

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