It might have been any family putting up a Christmas tree.
There was Ben Behunin, tipping a big blue spruce this way and that, trying to make sure it was standing up straight while his wife, Julianna; and daughters, Kianna, 8; and Korissa, 5, watched, along with his father, also named Ben.
"That's too much," his father called out at one point as the tree lurched backward. But it was soon righted, and Ben earned a nod of approval. "It looks straight from here," his father said with a smile.
This wasn't just any tree, though.
The 12-footer, intended to serve as the state's Christmas tree for generations to come, was planted Wednesday in the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds by Behunin Horticulture, a family-owned company in Taylorsville started in 1943.
"I like the idea," said the senior Ben, who heads the company that employs his son and four other children. "It seems silly to cut down tree after tree all the time. I love horticulture. I like things that are growing."
The decision to end the longtime tradition of decorating a massive cut tree in the rotunda of the Capitol comes during the first holiday celebrated since the building reopened after a four-year, $200 million renovation.
Dragging a 40-foot cut tree in and out of the building could cause costly damage to the bronze doors, marble floors and other special features of the restored Capitol — not to mention violate fire codes.
The state first considered installing an equally big cut tree outside. But that also presented safety hazards, so David Hart, head of the state Capitol Preservation Board, came up with the idea of planting a tree.
The tree that went into the ground Wednesday may seem puny now compared to past state Christmas trees, but it is expected to grow a foot a year and could reach 45 feet or more. It will be decorated with lights that will be turned on in a ceremony sometime in early December.
That won't be the same for Evelyn Gruter, a fiscal analyst with the state who was taking a power walk around the Capitol on her morning break during the tree-planting. "I'll miss it," Gruter said of the traditional indoor tree. "It made it seem festive this time of year."
For traditionalists, first lady Mary Kaye Huntsman will unveil the tree in the Governor's Mansion on Monday. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said the theme will be honoring the state's first responders, including firefighters, police and paramedics.
In his annual Thanksgiving message issued Wednesday, the governor recognized the troops as well as "other public servants, teachers, law enforcement, emergency services personnel and so many others who help us all to enjoy the quality of life we have in our state."
E-mail: lisa@desnews.com