And Lighting Up the City

At this time of year, one of the nice things about living in the state capital is that we get to see trees decorated for both the state and local government. A few blocks away from the state capitol's tree sits the 2008 Metro Nashville Christmas tree. Standing in front of the Metro Courthouse on Public Square, the 35-ft. blue spruce twinkles with more than 2,000 lights.

A couple of side notes: A local resident also donated this tree to the city for use.
Unlike the state tree, which is behind ropes, the city tree is quite accessible.

Just after I finished shooting this photo, three college-age guys came by and sang, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" to my husband and me. Had it not started raining hard, I would have taken their photo.

Lighting Up the Capitol

Each year, members of the state's horticultural staff keep an eye out for a tree that will become the state's holiday tree. This year, they chose a 55-year old blue spruce from a yard right in Davidson County. (Note: The owner of the tree did agree to let the state cut it down.)
Gov. Phil Bredesen and his wife, Andrea Conte, lit the the thousands of lights on November 29.

Workers had to use a crane to lift the more than 40-ft. tree to its perch in front of the capitol. If you'd like to see more photos of how they did it, click here.

Tomorrow, we'll take a walk down the street to see the city tree.

Lights-a-Million

During the holiday season, more than two-million lights adorn over 1,000 trees and bushes on the Opryland Hotel property in Nashville. The front entrance and lobby of the hotel are behind the pond and waterfall shown above. If you look closely at the hotel's dormers, you'll note lighted wreaths in those windows, too. Believe it or not, over 1,000,000 people travel to see the lights annually.

Tomorrow, we'll go inside for a peek.

PS. Happy Birthday, Jason!