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"People weren't able to go, but it's OK," she said. "We'll have an actual Christmas party."
Chafee, an independent, said at the ceremony he was trying to avoid some of the unpleasantness that surrounded last year's event when protesters interrupted the lighting to demonstrate against Chafee dubbing the shrub a "holiday tree" instead of a Christmas tree.
"Last year, unfortunately, this event turned into a very disrespectful gathering," Chafee said. "So let's light the tree, go and greet the performers and have a very merry holiday season."