We're in the full swing of the holiday season and Christmas will be here before we know it. Each year in Washington, DC, the first lady decorates the White House and both the Capitol and White House display a Christmas tree on their respective front lawns.

First Lady Melania Trump has unveiled the 2020 White House Christmas decorations and she did an outstanding job. This year's theme, "America the Beautiful", is a tribute to the majesty of our great nation. The building's history and unmistakable architecture are amplified by the lights and decorations throughout the halls. The crown jewel of the display is the Christmas tree, an 18-foot Fraser Fir from West Virginia that is illuminated on the south lawn. The White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony is held around this time each year, where hundreds of guests are usually in attendance, musical acts perform, we learn about the history of the White House Christmas tree and the President and First Lady introduce the current year's tree. This year, unfortunately, guest could not be in attendance, but the National Parks Service still produced a terrific video, which you can watch by clicking here.

This year's Capitol Christmas tree is a 55-foot tall Engelmann Spruce from Colorado. It was harvested on November 5 before making the 2,000 mile trip to Washington, DC with plenty of stops along the way for different communities along the route to see. The Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony, like the White House's, was not open to guests this year, but you can see and read more about the tree by clicking here.

My favorite tree in Washington, however, is the four-foot artificial tree in my office. This week, my staff brought it out of storage and set it up in our front office. While the House office buildings are still restricting guest access, I still want to share a photo with you, and hope that next year many of you can visit in person!

I recently introduced a bipartisan bill, the Air America Act, that will enable employees of Air America to receive the federal retirement benefits they deserve. These brave individuals who executed flight operations that provided vital supplies to our troops during the Vietnam war were working undercover, but still federal employees who deserve the same benefits as other federal employees. Air Americans also saved tens of thousands of lives in search and rescue missions for downed U.S. military pilots, evacuations of allied refugees and the final evacuations of Danang and Saigon in 1975. 

I took to the House floor this week to honor Air Americans and encourage my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to join me in supporting this important legislation.

If you’ve driven down Wisconsin's rural highways, you’ve probably seen spray booms on some of the farms. These large metal instruments hook up to tractors to spray liquid, such as fertilizer, over the crops. Spray booms come in a variety of sizes and can sometimes be well over 100 feet in length! I'm glad I was able to tour Specialty Equipment in Wautoma, which is North America’s largest manufacturer of aluminum spray booms.

Every year, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as "Giving Tuesday, or the National Day of Giving. This is an opportunity for communities to come together during the holiday season by donating time, money and goods to local charities and those in need.

As your Congressman, I’m here to serve you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to my offices in Fond du Lac and Washington. If you enjoyed this newsletter be sure to forward it to your family and friends so they can stay informed on what I’m doing in Washington and the Sixth District. 

You can also stay up-to-the-minute by following me on Facebook (Congressman Glenn Grothman), Twitter (@RepGrothman) and Instagram (@RepGlennGrothman).