Lana Sternhagen made her first trip Tuesday to see the Christmas tree display at the South Dakota Capitol.

It won't be her last.

Sternhagen, her children and friends attended the grand lighting ceremony of the 100-tree display in the Capitol. And they took particular interest in the biggest tree of the bunch.

That's because just two weeks ago, the perfectly shaped Black Hills Spruce stood 54 feet tall along U.S. Highway 85 in Deadwood, on land owned by Sternhagen and her husband, Jim.

Knowing they would likely have to remove the tree for a planned development on the land, the Sternhagens donated the spruce to be the centerpiece of the annual Capitol Christmas tree display. And it is serving that role well, Sternhagen said.

"It was beautiful. It was absolutely beautiful," she said. "We had never seen the display before. And when they turned on all those lights and every one of the trees came on, it was absolutely wonderful."

The largest of the decorated trees in the Capitol, the spruce - trimmed somewhat to fit through the doors - stands in the rotunda just a few feet from the back door of Gov. Mike Rounds' office.

The official lighting ceremony for the tree was Tuesday night. Rounds attended the ceremony, along with his wife, Jean. She and Pierre sixth-grader Carissa Brandt, a cancer survivor, handled the lighting ceremony, with Carissa throwing the switch.

Now, the spruce and the other trees are on display in the Capitol from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CST daily through Dec. 28. And they'll bring thousands of visitors and a spirit of good cheer to the center of South Dakota government.

"It's all decorated and lighted now. It's just gorgeous," South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said of the spruce. "This is something we look forward to every year."

Nelson said this year's centerpiece tree measures up well to those of the past. And visitors were already taking advantage of it Wednesday. Nelson works just down the hall from the Rotunda, so he sees the display often.

But he also enjoys watching others check out the trees.

"This is a time of year when regular South Dakotans come to the Capitol and spend some time here," Nelson said. "It's fun to see them enjoying their Capitol."

The South Dakota Attorney General's Office used to be in the Capitol, but it moved to a new building at the north edge of Pierre several years ago. Attorney General Larry Long loves the new facility but also misses the traditional beauty of the Capitol. And he misses those regular strolls past the Christmas trees.

"We've been kind of separated from that since we moved. But I still get up there," Long said. "I expect that everybody gets over there sooner or later with family. You have family that comes to town for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and one of the things you do is go to the Capitol and see the trees."

Lana Sternhagen did that on Tuesday, making the seven-hour round trip with family and friends. Work obligations forced her husband to miss this visit.

But there will be another time, probably yet this Christmas season, Lana said.

"I can't wait to go back. This is going to be a new tradition," she said. "We're so happy about this, because we were going to have to tear the tree down. Now, this tree is going to live in our memories."

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com