Once again, artist Thomas Kinkade will be attending the lighting of the Nation's Christmas Tree to be held on the Ellipse near the White House on December 2nd, 2004. Kinkade was commissioned this year by the Christmas Pageant of Peace to paint the National Christmas Tree for an unprecedented second time. He will offer his painting of the 40-foot Colorado Blue Spruce, titled "Symbols of Freedom," to the President and Mrs. Bush while in Washington, D.C.

"I am honored to be asked to commemorate this wonderful tradition," said Kinkade. "By depicting the tree in a setting with such emblematic landmarks as the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial, I hoped to create my own salute to our symbols of freedom as a way of silently affirming our most cherished beliefs in times of great strife and challenge throughout the world."

"Symbols of Freedom" will be featured on the cover of the 2004 Christmas Pageant of Peace program. In addition Mr. Kinkade has donated over 2,000 commemorative prints of his painting to the organization for use in their fund-raising efforts.

The first National Christmas Tree dates back to 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson joined 20,000 people for the first "civic lighting of the tree." An annual tradition since 1923, every President from Coolidge to Bush has participated in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. 2004 is a special year for both the Pageant of Peace and Thomas Kinkade as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Christmas Pageant of Peace and it is Mr. Kinkade's 20th anniversary as a published artist.

For more information, please visit www.pageantofpeace.org or www.thomaskinkade.com.