Treelighter, Brigette Harrington of Hillsboro, Oregon

Governor Sponsored Essay Contest for 4th Graders Across the State of Oregon

Announced with a surprise visit to my classroom by Governor Kate Brown on October 16th. There were 1,200 entries!

Winning Essay Would Light the United States Capitol Christmas Tree on December 6th in Washington D.C.

Thanks to many wonderful sponsors including Alaska Airlines, Choose Outdoors, Travel Oregon, and many many more!

My Poem

• An original “twist” on “Twas the Night Before Christmas” in format
• It featured my favorite outdoor experiences about Oregon through the seasons.

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Capitol Christmas Program

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• Started in 1964
• Oregon Was Selected in 2002 and 2018
• The Tree is From the Willamette National Forest

Near Sweet Home, Oregon

• This is the first ever Noble Fir to Stand on the Capitol Lawn
• The Architect of the Capitol Selects the Tree

Each Year

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Our Special Oregon Christmas Tree

72 Feet Tall

8,200 Pounds

Around 40 Years Old

Under police escort and watch & care of National Forest Service team the whole way there!

The “People’s Tree” Travels

The Theme for this year was “Find Your Trail” in honor of the 175th anniversary of the Oregon Trail and the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act.

The tree followed the Oregon Trail in reverse back to Washington D.C.

100 Foot Long Truck

Made 25

Whistle Stops

along the

Oregon Trail

Sweet Home, Oregon, Kicks Off the Celebration

• Parade

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• Festival

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• Program with Senator Wyden

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• My Poem

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November 9th

The “People’s Tree” Visits Our Capitol, Salem

Smokey The Bear Photo Bombs Us

Special Memories in Salem &

Oregon City Whistle Stops

The Oregon Tree Arrives in D.C.

• It arrived at Joint Base Andrews on November 25

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• The United States Air Force and Marines unwrapped the tree with the U.S. Forest Service

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• It used 60,000 LED lights put on by electricians.

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• The base was put in the ground and secured with concrete

Wow. Just Wow.

Bringing People and Community Together

• 10,000 Ornaments were made statewide for the tree

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• 14 foot diameter tree skirt for the tree made in Yamhill County

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• About 75 additional smaller trees went with the big tree and were on display in D.C. (6,500 more ornaments and 75 more handmade tree skirts!)

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• The Oregon State Libraries donated fresh apples and two books at each “Whistle Stop” that the tree made along the Oregon Trail

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Back in Salem to Light the Rotunda Tree at the Capitol!

November 27th

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A City Council Recognition

Thank you to Mayor Callaway and the City of Hillsboro for the congratulations and the send-off. I wore my scarf and pin proudly in D.C.

It’s Time to Travel- DC Bound!

A Fun Surprise:

Alaska Airlines arranged for me to speak on the intercom during the flight to tell about the Capitol Christmas Tree Program! So fun. And I was also featured in the in-flight magazine!

Visiting the White House

National Press Club Reception

Performing on violin and singing

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Meeting Chuck Leavell from the Rolling Stones

Library of Congress Congressional Reception

Senator Merkley

Senator Wyden

Library of Congress Tour

The Great Hall

President Jefferson’s Original Book Collection

Taking in a Few Smithsonian Museums

National Natural History Museum

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National Museum of

American History

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National African American Museum of History and Culture

Amazing Butterfly Exhibit

Capitol Hill and A Sneak Peek at Capitol Tree

Up Close and Personal

To the left:

One of the official

ornaments of 2018.

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To the right:

The Capitol tree

all decorated with thousands of Oregon made ornaments

Capitol Hill- Beautiful and Majestic

Visiting George H.W. Bush Lying in State

Monument Dusk Tour- Beautiful and Meaningful

Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Reception

Meeting United States Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, and Lighting the USDA Christmas Tree

Our House of Representative- Suzanne Bonamici

Meeting Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan

Time to Light the BIG Tree!

Reciting my poem on national television and then the countdown…..

Congressional After-Party at the Botanic Garden

With Nikki Swanson, Head Ranger of Sweet Home District

Surprise! A Feature Article on the Front Page of the Metro Section of the Washington Post!

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So many memories…

I am so grateful for this experience and opportunity.

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Next Steps...

From Sweet Home to Washington D.C.

Merry Christmas!

Being Recognized and Opening the House Floor Session in January with Rep. Sollman

Oregon Governor’s Tourism Conference

It was awesome to present the 2018 Oregon Tourism Communications Program Award to the CCT Team in Eugene.

April 2019

The Idea to Make a Book...

Upon returning to Oregon, many people suggested I consider turning my poem into an illustrated children’s picture book. We thought it would be a great way to commemorate Oregon’s Capitol Christmas Tree and keep my poem and our memories alive.

The stars aligned. My mom, Kim, was asked to take a course by local author, Raymond Macalino. The course titled “Your Amazing Picture Book” offered awesome modules of learning. I was involved in the whole process and was especially excited when we started looking for our illustrator. After hours of searching, we knew we’d found “the one”.

My Incredibly Talented Illustrator

Tatiana Rusakova lives in the Ukraine. She is incredibly talented and specializes in botanicals. We are so grateful for her talents and skills. She thoughtfully created her designs based on our ideas and photos, and she researched a lot about Oregon. She expressed to us that illustrating “My Oregon” was her most favorite project she’s worked on.

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I am already planning to have her illustrate my next book.

She personalized so many touches on this book that are special to our family… and we hope she can visit us someday.

Publishing My Children’s Picture Book!

Completed in July 2019!

The Special Holiday Edition

In honor of the tree, we thought it would be fun to have a special holiday edition available.

I’m also super excited my two crazy cats made the cut!

Word Gets Out

So exciting!

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Another dream come true! My book is done!

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I so appreciate the community and everyone’s support.

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Thank you to the Hillsboro Public Library for supporting my book launch event too.

What’s My Most Favorite Page in the Book?

Everyone in my family has a different favorite page, but this one takes the prize to me. I love the forest & the animals and the lighting coming through the trees is incredible.

Book Dedication

This summer I had a fabulous chance to return to Sweet Home, Oregon, where the tree originated. The book is dedicated to the Willamette Forestry Tree Team as well as the City of Sweet Home. It was so moving to revisit my forestry friends as I have made lifelong friends from this experience.

Where Did The Name “Abeo Books” Come From?

Noble fir (Abies procera) is the tallest of the true fir genus Abies. Its generic name, Abies, means rising-one, from the ancient Latin abeo, meaning tall tree or ship. It seemed fitting to name my new publishing company where all of this started- from Oregon’s magnificent noble fir tree that graced the Capitol Lawn. I love the hidden meaning and the honor of this name.

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A Thank You to My Huge Support Network

James Edward Mills from the Joy Trip Project has chronicled photos from several years of Capitol Christmas Tree projects. Though he’s probably not supposed to admit this, Oregon’s is “probably” his favorite! :)

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I thank him so much for allowing me to share many of his photos in my book.

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So Many to Acknowledge & Recognize With Books

What’s Next?

This entire journey has forever shaped my life.

And yes, another book is in the works! :)

But more importantly, I count my blessings every day. I am grateful for so many things. I am grateful for my family, my support system, my teachers, and my friends. I am grateful for my home, my community, and my state. I am grateful for my school and for my love of learning.

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Thank you for inviting me here today. It means so much to me. Brigette Harrington

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