Creating the design of the National Christmas Tree and organizing the Pageant of Peace is a year-long process.
In 1999, the Washington Post reported that General Electric (GE) lighting designers begin sketching plans for the lighting scheme in March.
In 2004, they began their design efforts in February.
GE changes the design every year.
The lights are manufactured at a GE plant in Cleveland, Ohio, and are tested on a tree at GE's headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, in mid-October to ensure that the design looks right and nothing is technically wrong with it.

Contractors begin soliciting ornaments for the trees along the Pathway of Peace about the same time, usually around a theme.
Other vendors begin contacting nationally known singers, performers, and the providers of children's characters (such as Warner Bros. Animation, Sesame Workshop, or The Walt Disney Company) for their availability.
Various contractors build the decorations, depending on what is required.
In 2000, Brilliant Electric Sign Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, spent four weeks building the 200 ornaments required for that year's display.
Many of the decorations in 2000 and 2002 were manufactured with the same high-tech plastic used to make the faceplates of astronaut helmets.

During the summer, National Park Service workers apply a pesticide to the tree to kill red spider mites (which can kill evergreen trees).
The tree is also checked so that rodents do not take up residence in its roots or branches.
The tree is pruned yearly, and fertilized every three years.

The 8 feet (2.4 m) high Fraser Firs for the Pathway of Peace are cut in early November.

Hargrove Inc., a company which provides trade show and custom exhibits, begins decorating all the trees with the lights and decorations about 10 days before the tree lighting ceremony is set to occur. (
As of 2001, Hargrove had decorated the tree every year since 1954.)
The lights and decorations do not actually hang from the National Christmas Tree itself.
 Rather, they hang from guy-wires which run up the sides of the tree.
In 2008, it took 15 people to decorate the tree.

The National Christmas Tree can be covered with fewer or greater lights, depending on the lighting scheme.
In 1999, 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of lights containing 75,000 bulbs were used.
In 2000, however, 125,000 lights (using 75,000 watts per day) were used.
There were 200,000 bulbs in 2002, but just 13,000 in 2003 (the year a more traditional lighting scheme was used).
In 2008, after the switch to LED lights, the National Christmas Tree was illuminated by more than 45,000 lights on 900 50-light strings.
About 34,000 LED lights were used on the branches, with the remainder used to light ornaments and the tree topper.
Improvements in LED technology meant that 100 fewer strings were used than in 2007 (the first year LED lighting was used).
By 2010, although the number of LED lights had increased to 81,104, the number of strings had been reduced to 750.
The National Christmas Tree and Pathway of Peace trees consumed 7,000 watts over four weeks in 2010, at a cost of about $180 per day. (
The National Christmas Tree alone consumed 2,000 watts per day in 2011.)
The lighting scheme used 60,000 LED lights and 265 spherical ornaments in 2013, while consuming just 5700 watts of energy.

It took 173 feet (53 m) of incandescent lights (containing 225 small bulbs) and about 50 ornaments to decorate each state tree in 1999.
 By 2008, after the switch to LED lights, it took six to seven strings of clear LEDs lights to decorate each state tree.

To provide electricity to the National Christmas Tree and all the trees in the Pathway of Peace, up to 6 miles (9.7 km) of electrical cord was laid in 2000 — all connected to an underground electrical system.

Aristo-Craft Trains originally donated, set up, and ran the model trains at the base of the tree.
Gravel was placed in each engine and car so that wind could not blow them off the tracks.
By 2008, sponsorship of the train had expanded to include Bachmann Industries, BridgeWorks, Garden Metal Models, Hartland Locomotive Work
Creating the design of the National Christmas Tree and organizing the Pageant of Peace is a year-long process. In 1999, the Washington Post reported that General Electric (GE) lighting designers begin sketching plans for the lighting scheme in March. In 2004, they began their design efforts in February. GE changes the design every year. The lights are manufactured at a GE plant in Cleveland, Ohio, and are tested on a tree at GE's headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, in mid-October to ensure that the design looks right and nothing is technically wrong with it.
Contractors begin soliciting ornaments for the trees along the Pathway of Peace about the same time, usually around a theme. Other vendors begin contacting nationally known singers, performers, and the providers of children's characters (such as Warner Bros. Animation, Sesame Workshop, or The Walt Disney Company) for their availability. Various contractors build the decorations, depending on what is required. In 2000, Brilliant Electric Sign Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, spent four weeks building the 200 ornaments required for that year's display. Many of the decorations in 2000 and 2002 were manufactured with the same high-tech plastic used to make the faceplates of astronaut helmets.
During the summer, National Park Service workers apply a pesticide to the tree to kill red spider mites (which can kill evergreen trees). The tree is also checked so that rodents do not take up residence in its roots or branches. The tree is pruned yearly, and fertilized every three years.
The 8 feet (2.4 m) high Fraser Firs for the Pathway of Peace are cut in early November.
Hargrove Inc., a company which provides trade show and custom exhibits, begins decorating all the trees with the lights and decorations about 10 days before the tree lighting ceremony is set to occur. (As of 2001, Hargrove had decorated the tree every year since 1954.) The lights and decorations do not actually hang from the National Christmas Tree itself.  Rather, they hang from guy-wires which run up the sides of the tree. In 2008, it took 15 people to decorate the tree.
The National Christmas Tree can be covered with fewer or greater lights, depending on the lighting scheme. In 1999, 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of lights containing 75,000 bulbs were used. In 2000, however, 125,000 lights (using 75,000 watts per day) were used. There were 200,000 bulbs in 2002, but just 13,000 in 2003 (the year a more traditional lighting scheme was used). In 2008, after the switch to LED lights, the National Christmas Tree was illuminated by more than 45,000 lights on 900 50-light strings. About 34,000 LED lights were used on the branches, with the remainder used to light ornaments and the tree topper. Improvements in LED technology meant that 100 fewer strings were used than in 2007 (the first year LED lighting was used). By 2010, although the number of LED lights had increased to 81,104, the number of strings had been reduced to 750. The National Christmas Tree and Pathway of Peace trees consumed 7,000 watts over four weeks in 2010, at a cost of about $180 per day. (The National Christmas Tree alone consumed 2,000 watts per day in 2011.) The lighting scheme used 60,000 LED lights and 265 spherical ornaments in 2013, while consuming just 5700 watts of energy.
It took 173 feet (53 m) of incandescent lights (containing 225 small bulbs) and about 50 ornaments to decorate each state tree in 1999.  By 2008, after the switch to LED lights, it took six to seven strings of clear LEDs lights to decorate each state tree.
To provide electricity to the National Christmas Tree and all the trees in the Pathway of Peace, up to 6 miles (9.7 km) of electrical cord was laid in 2000 — all connected to an underground electrical system.
Aristo-Craft Trains originally donated, set up, and ran the model trains at the base of the tree. Gravel was placed in each engine and car so that wind could not blow them off the tracks. By 2008, sponsorship of the train had expanded to include Bachmann Industries, BridgeWorks, Garden Metal Models, Hartland Locomotive Work
National Christmas Tree (United States)