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Hand-Crafted Ornaments

In 1983, under the direction of Governor George Deukmejian, the Department of Developmental Services was invited to participate in the decoration of the State Tree and the tree lighting ceremony. Each year, children and adults with developmental disabilities have created thousands of hand-crafted ornaments for the tree. Since 1983, a child with a developmental disability has been chosen to present one of these ornaments during the ceremony to the Governor and First Lady. A few years later, the child began joining the Governor in "flipping the switch" during the ceremony to light the tree, signifying the start of the Capitol Holiday season. Both of these traditions have been continued by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver.

The candy cane ornament has been
chosen to be placed on the tree during
the 2007 Tree Lighting Ceremony

Recent additions to the ceremony include a "VIP" wheelchair riser for persons with disabilities. Grammy Award winning performing artists and theatrical performances combine to create a spectacular holiday program. Each year, consumers travel from throughout Northern California to watch the ceremony, including a group from the Sonoma Developmental Center.

DDS' developmental centers, state-operated community facilities, and artists from the state's 21 regional centers created nearly 1,500 ornaments for the tree. Some centers began making ornaments as early as June.

Made from mostly recycled and weather resistant materials, the ornaments create quite a stir from onlookers. Even though they are hand made, they are usually durable enough to last through December.

2007 California State Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony