12/4/2012 - Col. Wyn Elder, 62nd Airlift Wing commander, gets help from some eager children to countdown the annual McChord Tree Lighting ceremony, Dec. 3, 2012, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. After a short countdown, Elder and the children pulled a switch to light the tree located behind the Chapel Annex on Col. Joe Jackson Blvd. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sean Tobin)

12/4/2012 - Santa Claus greets a young girl, Dec. 3, 2012, at the annual McChord Tree Lighting ceremony at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Santa Claus rode in on a fire truck and greeted the children with candy canes after the tree lighting. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sean Tobin)

12/4/2012 - A large evergreen tree is decorated with lights, Dec. 3, 2012, behind the McChord Chapel Annex at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The tree lighting ceremony is an annual event on McChord Field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sean Tobin)