As the Sun Went Down, He Went Up ... the National Christmas Tree

There was a bit of a hubbub Friday evening around the National Christmas Tree. The US Park Police says calls started coming in shortly before 6pm that a man was ascending the tree, and cops and negotiators were dispatched to the scene, CNN reports. Per WJLA, firefighters and EMS workers were also on hand to help. The unidentified man made it 15 feet or so up into the branches when he finally "self-extricated" and came back down to the ground. He wasn't hurt, but he was taken to a nearby hospital for a psychological checkup, a Park Police rep says. Per the Washington Post, a National Park Service spokeswoman says the tree's lights will be kept off until workers can check out what, if any, damage occurred, and that a holiday performance set for Saturday in front of the tree is now nixed. (Remember Rome's "traumatized" Christmas tree?)