We just can’t resist sharing big news about big trees, and since we’re coming up on the holidays, annual tree lightings are taking place in major buildings and parks across the Plant One Million region. On Tuesday, December 6, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and his wife, Susan Corbett, lit the Capitol Christmas Tree, a 22-foot-tall Concolor standing prominently in the middle of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, PA.

Governor Corbett took the opportunity to honor those who fell victim to the widespread flooding that has recently plagued the tri-state area, and one flood victim in particular, 14-year-old Colin Vengen of Pottsville, PA, had the privilege of helping to hit the button that would illuminate the Capital Christmas tree.

According to a press release posted on PennLive.com, Corbett remarked that the symbol of the Christmas tree speaks to our collective ability to “put aside our differences, set aside our arguments, forget our politics, remember our humanity and celebrate each other’s company in this season.”

The tree will stay lit from 8 am to 8 pm every day from now until January 7, 2012.