Between the special session and the raucous protests, the Legislative Building’s Rotunda has had more than its share of crowds and noise in recent days. But at week’s end, people were gathering for a peaceful and festive reason, the annual tree lighting ceremony (Friday at 6 p.m.) in the Rotunda.

The tree lighting always draws a big crowd, especially kids.

The Association of Washington Business has sponsored the tree lighting ceremony since 1989. For more than 20 years, AWB has sponsored the Holiday Kids’ Tree Project, in which AWB members and private individuals provide toys, food and other contributions that are distributed to needy families in rural parts of the state by firefighters from Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Thurston, Grant, Walla Walla and Spokane counties.

Port Blakely Tree Farms donated the 24-foot Noble fir to be the big, green attraction. The fir was brought from a tree farm near Morton just before Thanksgiving.  This year’s tree is decorated with 5,000 new LED lights. AWB paid for the lights and decorations.

Since our office loves history and old photos, we want to take you back in time to the Christmas program in the rotunda in 1954. Kudos to Benjamin Helle in Archives for finding the photo below and similar holiday shots, which we’ll feature here later this month.

(Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives)