Every year, Virginia Senator Mark R. Warner purchases a Virginia-grown tree to display in his Russell Senate office during the holidays. This year’s 14-foot Fraser Fir tree comes from Mt. Rogers Tree Farm in Grayson County, Va.

Today, Senator Warner invited 50 second-grade students from Mount Vernon Community School in Alexandria, Va. for a tree-trimming party.  The students, who are part of a dual English-Spanish language curriculum, serenaded the Senator with Spanish-language renditions of holiday classics such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and helped decorate the tree with their own handmade ornaments.

Christmas trees are a growing industry for Virginia. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state ranks seventh in tree production, with nearly half a million Christmas trees harvested based on the most recent available data. For more information about getting your own Virginia Christmas tree, visit the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association at virginiachristmastrees.org. 

Photos from the event are available below and for download here.