The 2009 National Christmas Tree is the brightest yet, according to the National Park Service. Having now photographed the tree for 47 consecutive years, I question that. It is, however, the most efficient in history, consuming about 6,000 watts compared to last year's 18,000 watts.
This is the first year that ornaments from previous years have been combined to create a whole new look for the tree. For the last three years, GE has been gradually trimming the tree with more LED (light emitting diode) lighting powered by tiny computer chips, and has about ten times the life of traditional incandescent lighting. The ornaments are retrofitted with LED bulbs to achieve significant additional wattage reduction.
The lighting design features 750 strings of white LED lights, half f which are C5 LED lights reused from last year, and half of which are new LED crystal minis, giving the lighting a more three-dimensional look. Each string costs only 14 cents to run for the entire holiday season. The topper is the same one used for the last three years. The ornaments all come from the tree's recent history, with gold stars from 2008, white stars from 2004, and red and gold starbursts from 1998.
GE has been designing the National Christmas Tree since 1962, producing and donating the lighting and decorations.