Hundreds attend the 70th annual tree lighting at the Nebraska State Capitol on on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017.
LINCOLN — Add the Nebraska State Capitol Christmas celebrations to the list of pandemic victims.
There will be no Christmas tree in the Rotunda this year and no tree-lighting ceremony. No Carol Sing for the public, and none of the usual holiday tuba and brass concerts.
State officials made the announcement Tuesday, saying the events are being canceled to help visitors and staff prevent infection by avoiding the three C’s: crowded places, close contact and confined spaces.
But the Capitol will not be totally devoid of holiday spirit. The two large concolor fir trees at the base of the Capitol’s north plaza will be illuminated with colored lights. There also will be a smaller tree in the reception room of the Governor’s Office, in the northeast hallway of the second floor.
The Capitol will be open for tours as usual except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Free guided tours are offered on the hour, except at noon. The tours start at 9 a.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Sundays. The last tour starts at 4 p.m. all days.
Christmas in the Omaha area through the years
1940s: Christmas at Union Station
A photo of Christmas at Union Station taken during the 1940s.
1952: Christmas Day morning
A look at downtown Omaha on Christmas morning in 1952. The camera was facing north on 16th Street at Farnam Street.
1953: Christmas at Union Station
Christmas at Union Station. Taken on Christmas Day in 1953.
1958: Visit with Santa
Twins Jean, left, and Jane Palmer with Santa on Nov. 29, 1958.
1965: Christmas shopping, downtown Omaha
Shopping bags and Christmas spirit on the crosswalks of downtown Omaha on Dec. 19, 1965.
1968: Christmas shopping at Crossroads
Debbie, 7; Sherrie, 6; Trip, 4; and Kristie, 2, await Santa in the Crossroads parking lot. Their mother, Mrs. Tom Blair, was nearby. The photo was published Nov. 17, 1968.
1971: Crossroads Christmas parade
The “Circus Joys and Christmas Toys” parade at Crossroads Mall in November 1971.
1972: Christmas shopping and Santa visit
Curt Collins, 4, talks with Santa at Brandeis’ Crossroads store. The photo was published Dec. 20, 1972.
1972: Westroads Mall Christmas shopping
Shoppers at Westroads Mall in 1972 listen to Christmas music by the Cather Happy Day Singers from Willa Cather School and the Benson High School German Band.
1973: Downtown Omaha decorated for Christmas
Downtown Omaha is decorated for Christmas, including Edwards Jewelers on the southeast corner of 16th and Harney Streets. This photo was published Dec. 17, 1973.
1973: Southroads Christmas display
In this photo published on Dec. 23, 1973, Santa waves to Brenda Rothe, 2, as he whizzes by her in his gift-loaded train on Peppermint Lane at the Southroads.
1977: Christmas shopping, downtown Omaha
At the downtown Brandeis store, 16th and Douglas Streets, an oversize talking doll named Brandy greets visitors Pearl Barnhouse and her grandchildren, Robert and Jennifer Winger, 5 and 3. Fun fact: Brandy frequently frightened children because a real person was often inside the doll and would speak as people passed by. The photo was published on Dec. 2, 1977. The downtown Brandeis would close three years later. The flagship store had been open since 1907, and folks were very sorry to see it go. In a 1980 editorial, The World-Herald wrote, “For generations of Omahans, the Brandeis downtown store was a place that had almost everything. It was the heart of downtown retailing. Then came the plush, major shopping centers that each year drew more and more customers away from the downtown.”
1977: Durham Museum Christmas
Families sing Christmas carols around the tree at the lighting ceremony at the Durham Museum on Dec. 22, 1977. Among those attending the event were the Jim Mitchell family, including Karen, 4, on her father’s shoulders, and daughters Marlo, 9, and Joanne, 7, joined by Mrs. Mitchell’s brother, Danny Coughron, 8.
1980: Christmas shopping at Target
Sisters Ursula Turner, left, and Ireta McNight, look for a doll for their 6-year-old granddaughter/grand-niece at the Target store on Saddle Creek Road. They came during special shopping hours set aside for seniors and the disabled. Target had chartered buses to pick up shoppers at 17 senior citizen locations. The photo, by Sebi Breci, was published Dec. 15, 1980. Target moved out of its Saddle Creek spot in 2006.
1981: Christmas shopping at Crossroads
Brandy Klabunde, 8, shops for toys at Youngtown in Crossroads. The photo was published Dec. 20, 1981.
1981: Christmas shopping
Robert and Chester were among 70 foster children from the Nebraska Children’s Home who received $20 gift certificates for the Ardan Catalog Showroom, 8453 West Center Road. Here they are, in this photo published on Dec. 24, 1981, figuring out how to spend the money.
1981: Last-minute Christmas shopping
A woman walks through the Crossroads parking lot for some last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve 1981.
1982: Westroads Christmas shoppers
Christmas shoppers at Westroads on Dec. 18, 1982.
1982: Westroads shoppers
Shoppers at Westroads. The photo was published Dec. 19, 1982.
1984: Christmas shopping
Stephanie Goodrich of Omaha was getting in the Christmas spirit at the Brandeis Crossroads store, browsing through the display of holiday decorations in this Nov. 18, 1984, photo.
1984: Christmas shopping, toys
Andrew Crews reaches for a toy soldier. This photo was published Dec. 12, 1984.
1988: Visit with Santa
Ashley Vlven, 2, reluctantly meets Santa at Crossroads in November 1988. Ashley was at the mall with her mother, Dee Vlven.
1990: Durham Museum Christmas tree
Durham Museum volunteers and staff dismantle the 45-feet-high Christmas tree on Dec. 28, 1990. Volunteers Rosemary Ridenour, left, and Vi Cathro had ornament duty.
1992: Tree-lighting at Union Station
The tree-lighting ceremony during Christmas at Union Station at the Durham Museum on Nov. 29, 1992.
2005: Dick Boyd plays Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”
In 2005, Dick Boyd was in his last performance at the Omaha Community Playhouse production of “A Christmas Carol.” Spencer Newman, who played Tiny Tim, and Boyd are pictured at the end of play.
2018: Capitol District Ice Rink
Santa Claus showed off his skills Sunday at the Capitol District Ice Rink, where Annie Finneron, at top left, also spent part of the afternoon. Families from across the metro area took advantage of a nice day to skate, see Santa and enjoy Christmas music.
2018: Salvation Army Tree of Lights
The Salvation Army Tree of Lights, traffic lights, street lights, headlights and brake lights create a Christmas scene. The photo looks west on Cass Street toward 90th Street and West Dodge Road on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.
2019: Black Friday shopping at Shadow Lake Towne Center
Lights from the Christmas décor and the vehicles of shoppers at Shadow Lake Towne Center in Papillion on Thanksgiving night.
2019: Christmas tree disposal
Boys from several local Boy Scout troops unload unused Christmas trees.
2019: Salvation Army Tree of Lights
The annual lighting of the Salvation Army’s Tree of Lights in Omaha on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019.
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