Governor Mike Kehoe and Mrs. Claudia Kehoe invite families to join them for the first tree lighting ceremony and Candlelight Tours of the Kehoe Administration at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 6:00 pm. [1] The lighting of the tree will be followed by Candlelight Tours. During the Candlelight Tours, visitors will be able to walk through the festively decorated first floor of the Governor’s Mansion.
Candlelight Tours
The Candlelight Tours will run December 5th Monday, December 8, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Candlelight Tours are free and open to the public. Visitors will enter through the Madison Street gate.
Theme
This year’s theme is “Saint Nicholas: A Season of Giving.” As part of Governor and Mrs. Kehoe’s newly announced charitable initiative, Mansion on a Mission, mothers and children with St. Raymond’s Society will join the First Family as special guests during the tree lighting ceremony.
Toys for Tots representatives will also be in attendance during the Candlelight Tours to accept donations of new, unwrapped toys or monetary contributions to support Missouri children this holiday season.
Governor Kehoe stated:
Claudia and I look forward to welcoming Missourians to the People’s House this Christmas as we celebrate this season of giving.
Trees
In addition to the 36-foot Christmas tree on the Mansion lawn, foresters with the Missouri Department of Conservation sourced 10 Norway spruce trees to embellish the brick walkway leading to the Mansion. The 7-foot trees were selected from Pea Ridge Forest, a wholesale tree nursery and Christmas tree farm near Hermann, Missouri. The trees will be installed on the mansion lawn and decorated prior to the tree lighting and Candlelight Tours, beginning on Tuesday, November 25.
