National Christmas Tree ceremony lottery begins Wednesday

The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation will be hosting an online lottery starting Wednesday to obtain free tickets to the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 3 on the Ellipse, south of the White House.
Registration for the lottery opens at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday and closes at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Applicants can register at http://www.thenationaltree.org. There will be 2,800 seats and 7,000 standing-room spaces available.
Those without access to a computer can call during the same time period, 877-444-6777, or 877-633-6777 for those who are hearing impaired, the Park Service said. Winners will be notified by mail or e-mail. Tickets will be mailed by Nov. 15. All attendees, including children, must have tickets.