american because it gives me the freedom to be what i want to be, to become whatever i think of becoming. thank you. >> i am an elected city commissioner. my has taught me a great deal about our government and it has taught me that to be an american means to understand and cherish our constitution. one of the propensities that the geniuses that wrote our constitution understood is that power aggregates. to divide power to allow individuals to continue to have freedom and liberty. that freedom and liberty is a central in allowing your particular human energy to make a positive impact on your community. that is what i think about being an american. >> voices from the road on c-span.

look now at the arrival of the white house christmas tree in mid-november. following this, the holiday decorations inside the white house. national christmas tree lighting ceremony with president trump and first lady melania trump followed by the capital christmas tree lighting ceremony with house speaker paul ryan and others. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [applause] pres. trump: merry christmas, everybody. we have to say it altogether. merry, merry christmas. let us light the tree.

first lady will do the honors. we will do it all in reverse. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. [cheering] pres. trump: merry christmas, thank you. ♪ [instrumental "joy to the world"] ♪ [cheering]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the united states secretary of the interior, ryan zinke. [applause] ♪ mr. zinke: merry christmas, america. we are blessed to live in a country where christmas is celebrated and the spirit of our family and of charity is alive and well. we are also blessed to live in a country where our national parks, america's best idea, tell a story of this great nation.

from the iconic parks of the west like yellowstone and yosemite, to president trump's newest monument, camp nelson, where over 10,000 black americans joined the union army to fight for their freedom. [applause] thank you, mr. president. together these parks and public lands showcase a nation rich in diversity, heritage and national wonder. this christmas i encourage every american to visit our celebrated national parks and, yes, find your park. i also ask this season you keep in your mind and hearts the empty seats at the family dinner tables across this great land. whether it is a loved one currently deployed or one that has given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. our warmest thoughts and prayers go out to those members and their families who defend this great land. thank you for your sacrifice.

[applause] lastly, it is my high honor to introduce the man who has made america strong and safe again. as a former navy seal commander, i know that this president and commander in chief loves our troops and will always have their back. ladies and gentlemen, may i introduce the president of the united states, donald j. trump, and his lovely wife, first lady melania. ♪

mr. zinke: the man who brought christmas back to america. [applause] pres. trump: thank you very much. ryan, i want to thank you for doing such a beautiful job throughout the season. welcome, everyone. merry christmas. a special time of the year. melania and i are thrilled to be here today as we celebrate one of the nation's most cherished traditions, the lighting of the national christmas tree. tonight's ceremony is only possible because of the hard work of the many talented individuals that were working late at night, they were working early in the morning, they were working all the time. my sincere thanks to everyone at the national parks service and the national park foundation.

thank you very much, appreciate it. let me also extend my deeper appreciation to all of tonight's wonderful entertainers. great talents, they are going on to great things, many of them. i have seen them in their something very special. thank you very much, that was a great job tonight. this includes one very special group that has topped billboard charts multiple times, the dominican sisters, who i met backstage, from ann arbor, michigan. a very special recognition to the students who designed stunning ornaments to decorate 56 different christmas trees here in president park. i hear you out there. thank you, students. thank you very much. when they were doing the 56 trees there was one for each state and the territories in our magnificent country. we truly have a great country.

we are proud of it and we love it deeply. for christians all across our nation, around the world, this is a sacred season that again -- that begins 2000 years ago when jesus christ was born. an angel declared to the shepherds tending their flocks behold, i bring you good , tidings, great joy, which will be to all people, for unto you his born in the city, a savior, -- for unto you is born in the city, a savior, which is christ the lord. there in bethlehem mary and joseph held in their hands the son of god, the light of the world, and through him, the promise of eternal salvation. no matter one's face or beliefs, -- no matter one's faith or

beliefs, the christmas season reflects all that is best in the american spirit. this is a time of the year for rejoicing with our family and friends. we are spreading charity and goodwill in our commitment all over this country and in all of our communities, and for giving thanks to all of the blessings in our lives. we are especially thankful to the countless americans who have given their time and passion to help those in need. here in the audience today are number of extraordinary families and guardians joined by the beautiful children they have welcomed into their homes, and beautiful children they are. your devotion inspires us all to every child in foster care. you are the precious loved one and the gift of god. thank you. thank you. very, very special. at this time of the year we renew the bonds of affection between our fellow citizens and

we awaken the faith in our hearts that calls each of us to action. as we gather loved ones, our thoughts turn to those who are rebuilding their lives after devastating wildfires, destructive hurricanes, and terrible tragedy. we are one american family. we hurt together, we heal together, and we will always pull through together. this is the united states of america, we are the best in the world and there is nobody close. tonight we honor the first responders who risked their lives to save the lives of others. and all of america sends our profound gratitude to the incredible men and women of the

united states military. [applause] i am proud to say our military right now is stronger than ever before. [applause] their families are all our families, and we thank them so much for their greatness and the incredible job they do. thank you to the united states military. thank you very much. [applause] we ask god to watch over this nation's heroes as he shed his almighty grace upon our nation. we pray that america's light will shine more brightly than ever, and it will. on behalf of melania and myself and the entire trump family, many of whom are with us tonight, i want to wish you all a very merry christmas. may this christmas season bring peace to your hearts, warmth to your homes, cheer to your spirit, and joy to the world.

merry christmas, everyone. merry christmas and god bless you. thank you very much. [applause] >> folks, it was 214 years ago the explorers lewis and clark set out for the west coast of the united states of america. they were forging a trail, trail that sent them across the great plains, took them through the rockies, down the columbia river and to the great old growth forests of the pacific northwest. those forests have been part of our culture and economy ever since.

in fact, nearly 20% of our state our national forests, and we -- are national forests, and we love those forests. everything they bring us in commerce and pleasure and every possible feeding of the soul. now we have a moment when that trail has been traveled in reverse. so the people of oregon, this tree up on a large truck set out to retrace lewis and clark coming backwards, and stopping in key points they traveled on and different communities to celebrate america, to celebrate the trail.

the folks in those communities did a variety of things. they signed a banner on the truck, they did postcards. they really reflected on that journey, that connection, under this theme of find your trail. so they made it all the way back here. and isn't this the most beautiful people's christmas tree in the history of the united states of america? [applause] sen. merkley: if you were not sharing, you are not from oregon. this is one of the most grandest varieties of fir. i have never seen one so extraordinarily symmetrical. it is like the national forest said, let's grow the most perfect tree ever to share with the entire united states of america. in this season of joy, season of reflection, let us join together in that spirit which unifies america, of lifting everyone up across our country together, and in so doing, let's each of us find our trail. take care, and merry christmas. [applause]

>> thank you, senator merkley. please welcome congressman peter deblasio. this year's true comes from the sweet home ranger district. it is the fourth congressional district. which he represents, congressman deblasio. [applause] mr. deblasio: i am really proud to represent the fourth district. the city of sweet home. it is the 125th anniversary of the city of sweet home. someone finally had the good judgment to choose a noble as

our christmas tree. it is my favorite christmas tree. oregon is a little different place, for those of you not from oregon. this is 35 years old. we grow them quick and big and oregon. we have the most productive forest lands in united states of america. as vicki knows, we are always having discussions over how we could better manage our forest. i am pleased to have her as the new chief. she is our neighbor, she understands the forest, our environment. jeff and others talked about the tree, tracing it in reverse. when a national trail service happened in 1968, it was a

pretty tumultuous time in the united states. lyndon johnson was looking for something to perhaps unify people. we have five national trails in our state and when he proposed this to congress he said, but the beauty of the american outdoors must not be a holiday treat, but part of our daily life and a resource that ought to be available to every american. with our five trails in the dalles and the magnificent willamette forest. this allows everyone across the country to come together and enjoy oregon's beauty and bounty during the holiday season. i am pleased to call oregon home. and it is an honor to have our tree here as the national

christmas tree to celebrate this special time of year. i hope this tree inspires all of you here to go out and find your own trail. again as president johnson said 50 years ago, beauty belongs to all the people. and this is beauty. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, congressman deblasio.

i have the great privilege to introduce the speaker of the house of representatives. paul ryan has served the people of the first congressional district of wisconsin since 1999. he became speaker in 2015 and continues the tradition of lighting the capital christmas tree. ladies and gentlemen, the honorable paul ryan. [applause]

mr. ryan: thank you, thank you. first, i want you oregonians to know your senator, ron wyden, long time friend of mine, led me into a pronunciation lecture. oregon, willamette, i could go on, but he did it with this baseball hat that reminded me of a rose bowl six years ago i was hoping to forget about. [laughter] but, i digress. what a beautiful tree. this is a beautiful occasion. i want to thank everyone who had

a hand in pulling this altogether. thank you to the folks from willamette, oregon. brigette and everyone who made this possible. thank you for this wonderful journey. [applause] i know that is very much no small task, especially when a tree comes all the way from

oregon. i want to thank my colleagues from the oregon delegation. i want to thank earl, susan, peter, and your two senators. one who has a better happen the other one. this is my fourth and final time leading this event. each time the tree is more stunning. we have a pretty nice trees in wisconsin, so maybe one of these days we get a wisconsin tree here, i have to say this noble fir is the best i have seen. it is a gorgeous tree.

i also think it is a great time to come together. i think we are reminded because of what we did here this week in the capital, the fact that we lost a giant in our nation this week, and the loss of george h.w. bush was a great sorrow, but it also reminds us of the man who was a beacon of joy. my favorite christmas movie is "its a wonderful life." it captures this idea so well. i watch it every year. it is black and white. i try to convince my three teenagers to watch a black and white movie with their father. in this movie, george bailey despairs he has fallen short in life. he goes so far to imagine the world would be better off without him. only when an angel comes to him and reveals how much he is loved, how much he is worth, how much of an impact he has had on others, only then does he realize he truly has a wonderful life.

we all have angels in our own lives to remind us of our own blessings. there is so much good, so much joy, so much compassion all around us, but we often simply fail to see it. it is there, but it is hidden. all it needs is a few points to the light. in a moment we will light this tree. we will bring inexpert to help us do this. we have a brilliant young expert. this year we have brigette harrington from hillsboro. brigette won a contest with her palm about oregon's outdoors and what oregon's outdoors mean to her. i would like her to come up and read a few lines from her poem.

[applause] >> 'twas the month before christmas and all through my mind swirled thoughts of my oregon all intertwined the four seasons how extraordinary each one-of-a-kind plus memories galore for my mind to read wide the winter have beautiful the snow began to fall i quickly grabbed my mittens to make a chilly snowball the snowman we created sat proudly in my yard. he stayed there until he melted, a snowy, frosty guard.

[applause] ♪ [instrumental o christmas tree] ms. merdon: thank you for coming

to tonight's ceremony. joining us, the united states navy band, and the young brigette in lighting the capitol christmas tree. on friday, and author with her book on how feminism lost touch. and on saturday, the view from flyover country. chris withay, author american overdose. join us for authors week each

morning this week on washington journal. ♪ >> the united states senate, a uniquely american institution legislating and carrying out sincetutional duties 1789. on wednesday, january 2, c-span takes you inside the senate. learning about the legislative body and is in formal workings. we will look at the history of conflict and compromise with original interviews. >> arguing about things and taking them around and having great debates is a thoroughly american thing. >> key moments in history and unprecedented access allowing us to bring cameras into the center

-- the senate chamber during the session. follow the l of the aleutian -- follow the evolution of the senate in its modern era. including investigation. conflict and compromise, a c-span original production. explore the history, tradition, and role of this uniquely american institution. ramirez wednesday, january 2, at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific. and be sure to go online at c-span.org/senate to learn more about the program and watch original full-length interviews with senates, farewell speeches from long serving members, and take a tour inside the senate chamber. the old senate chamber. and other exclusive locations. takesn the new congress office in january, it will have the youngest, most diverse

freshman class in history. new congress, new leaders, watch it live on c-span starting january 3. directorpeace corps jody olson on the volunteer organization's mission and operations. she spoke at the center for strategic and international studies to draw attention to the peace corps's relevancy and the work of volunteers serving abroad in host countries. >> good afternoon. welcome to the center for strategic and international studies. and welcome to us hosting an futurent dialogue on the of the united states peace corps. as many of you know, hundreds of thousands of americans have served as peace corps volunteers over the last six decades. they change lives. friendshipsifelong and i would argue most