More than 300 Fort McCoy community members participated in the 2025 Fort McCoy Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 4 at McCoy’s Community Center at Fort McCoy.

Hundreds gathered to celebrate the annual event, which signals the start of the holiday season for the installation.

The event was organized by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR).

This year’s celebration featured not only the iconic tree lighting but also an array of festive activities, including holiday crafts for children, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a short play featuring garrison staff.

The ceremony also included remarks from the Garrison Command Team. Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez said welcome to all the hundreds of people in attendance. Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Riddle, garrison command sergeant major, also spoke to the attendees.

Director Scott Abell of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) said he was happy to see so many people at the event.

“It was wonderful to see the community together enjoying the holiday season,” Abell said.

After the tree was lit by the family members of the deployed Soldier, the festivities continued well into the evening with photos from Santa and interactive booths where children and families could create holiday-themed crafts and gifts.

DFMWR Commercial Sponsorship, Advertising Manager and Special Events Coordinator Ashley Sivert described in an after-action report what they did to coordinate and hold the event.

The … ceremony … successfully brought together approximately 320 patrons to celebrate the holiday season, supported by 19 sponsors,” Sivert wrote. “The event kicked off with a lively themed skit based on ‘Elf,’ leading to the official lighting of the Christmas tree, which illuminated the festivities. Attendees enjoyed 16 sponsored booths offering a variety of Christmas crafts, along with activities such as photos with Santa, Santa’s Workshop, Outdoor Recreation season pass sales for the ski hill, an Elfie Selfie station, a hot cocoa bar, and several food and drink specials. The event fostered community spirit and joy, and planning for next year’s ceremony will begin in early 2026, with an emphasis on enhancing activities and community involvement.”

“The staff went above and beyond to deliver a great family event,” Abell added.

Learn more about Fort McCoy DFMWR activities by visiting https://mccoy.armymwr.com or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mccoymwr.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy,” on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fortmccoywi, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@fortmccoy.

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”