North Dakota Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting: Resident-Created Ornaments

2023-12-24 13:00:00

Every year as the holiday season begins, a towering Christmas tree is erected in the halls of North Dakota’s Capitol in Bismarck.

It marks the beginning of holiday festivities across the state, and is celebrated with an annual lighting ceremony. Thousands of ornaments adorn the tree — and many are created by residents from across the state.

Every year, the office of first lady Katherine Burgum invites artists to submit ornaments to hang on the state tree, typically with a theme attached. This year’s motif was “Lighting the Way” — inspired by Burgum’s passion for ending the stigma around addiction. Residents had nearly a month to submit ornaments ahead of this year’s tree lighting in late November.

The Bismarck Tribune spoke to some of the people behind the new additions to this year’s tree. Here’s what they had to say.

Jeremiah Boyce

Jeremiah Boyce, of Bismarck, and his mother, Susan, submitted three ornaments for this year’s tree after hearing about the opportunity through the news.

“I thought it would be a cool feeling to help the state of North Dakota out,” Jeremiah Boyce said.

Jeremiah has cerebral palsy, which affects his motor functions, Susan Boyce said. As a result, the pair had to get creative. They selected clear glass ornaments shaped like lightbulbs, which Jeremiah painted inside using a syringe.

Susan decorated the outside of the trio of purple-and-gold ornaments with references to the Christmas story—including visuals such as a manger and the North Star.

When the Boyces visited the Capitol to search for their ornaments on the tree, they found them front and center, right at wheelchair height for Jeremiah to see.

Elizabeth Allmendinger and son Liam Allmendinger, 6, of Bismarck, had front row seats for the 42nd lighting of the North Dakota Christmas Tree on Nov. 27 in Memorial Hall of the state Capitol.

TOM STROMME, TRIBUNE

Sierra Hall

Sierra Hall sent in an ornament she made with leftover fabric scraps that were turned into a Scandinavian fabric star.

Hall said she decided to send in an ornament because the creation aligned with this year’s theme. It’s her first time sending in an ornament, and she was excited to hear her work made it on the tree.

Hall lives in Bismarck, but she hasn’t yet seen her ornament on the tree. She’s interested in paying the Capitol a visit at some point soon — and encourages other residents to participate in the annual tradition.

“Anyone should feel open to submitting their work,” Hall said. “I’m not a professional artist by any means.”

Julie Strom, an administrative assistant with Facility Management at the North Dakota Capitol, shows two ornaments received from the public for the state Christmas tree in 2020, the year the coronavirus pandemic made face masks a common item.

TOM STROMME, TRIBUNE

Julie Strom

Julie Strom is an administrative assistant in the state’s Facilities Management department. She’s also been responsible for selecting and processing ornaments for the state tree for the better part of a decade.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant ornament submissions took a hit over a period of a couple years, she said. But this year, the program has started to bounce back.

Every year, submissions vary. Student groups, businesses, artists, amateurs — a wide range of residents’ work is represented on the tree. Strom estimated there are around 10,000 ornaments on the tree, and the collection is growing every year: Once a resident submits an ornament, it stays on the tree for years afterward.

“We put them up every year, going back to, I’m assuming, when they first started,” Strom said. “If an ornament breaks or is in terrible condition, it gets retired. Other than that, we’ll keep using it year after year.”

Reach Jacob Fulton at 701-250-8225 or [email protected].

‘);
var s = document.createElement(‘script’);
s.setAttribute(‘src’, ‘
document.body.appendChild(s);
window.removeEventListener(‘scroll’, throttledRevContent);
__tnt.log(‘Load Rev Content’);
}
}
}, 100);
window.addEventListener(‘scroll’, throttledRevContent);