The annual State House Christmas tree lighting is today at 5 p.m. The event will take place on the State House lawn and is open to the general public.
The 41-foot tall spruce blue spruce was donated by the W.M. Group in Moretown and was previously located on Route 2 near the Moretown landfill. It will now be on display throughout the holiday season at the Vermont State House.
We had a story in Dec. 3 edition about Gov. Phil Scott’s visit to Martin’s Farm in Corinth last week to select this year’s Christmas trees for the Pavilion Building in Montpelier.
At 4 p.m., before the tree lighting, there will be performances by the Cirque de Fuego fire dancers and Shidaa West African Drumming with appearances by Rudolph the VTrans plow truck and animals, including Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts’ miniature donkey, Frannie.
Following the ceremony, light refreshments and cookies will be served inside the State House, around the indoor Victorian Christmas tree adorned with lights and handmade ornaments decorated by the Friends of the Vermont State House.
Scott will read “The Night Before Christmas” for the children who gather there.
Brattleboro man dies in Ukraine war
WTSA, the Brattleboro area radio station, reports today that the 33-year-old Vermonter who lost his life while serving as a medic in Ukraine was identified as Andrew David Mario from Brattleboro.
He passed away on December 3, 2025, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. At the time of his death, Mario was providing assistance to an international brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard. His parents characterized him in his obituary as “deeply compassionate, with a lively curiosity… and a fiery passion for social justice.”
Before his service in Ukraine, Mario engaged in humanitarian efforts that included volunteering at a shelter in Brattleboro, supporting pipeline protesters in North Dakota, and working at research stations in Antarctica. Reports indicate that his death marks the first casualty from Vermont in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. His family intends to organize a memorial service in the spring.
Mario’s death also was reported Dec. 8 by VTDigger.