It’s hard to say when exactly the Christmas season starts — maybe when the songs start playing, or when red and green crop up around stores, or when the first few lights go up.
But in Boston, a good argument can be made that the season starts when the city receives a special delivery from Nova Scotia.
A gift from grateful Canadians in the form of a 45-foot Christmas tree arrived Tuesday morning, revealing an indisputable holiday spirit as it was hoisted above Boston Common.
“Christmas tree!” one small child hollered out of the blue as the behemoth white spruce and its police escort appeared on Tremont Street.
Tuesday’s tree delivery is a Boston Christmas tradition dating back 105 years to the 1917 Halifax Explosion.
“On the morning of Dec. 6, 1917, a Mont Blanc French cargo ship laden with high explosives collided with a Norwegian vessel in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia,” Ryan Woods, Boston Parks and Recreation commissioner, recounted at the tree arrival event. “It was the largest human made explosion at the time, releasing the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT.”
Rubble landed across three and a half miles that morning, Woods continued. A 60-foot tsunami decimated much of the city. And then on top of it, 16 inches of snow came pouring down.
Bostonians rallied to the city’s aid that afternoon, piling doctors, relief workers and supplies onto trains headed north.
The next year, Nova Scotia sent Boston a gift — one large Canadian Christmas tree.
“It’s a symbol of thanks for the kindness, for the compassion, for the generosity,” said Rodger Cuzner, Consul General of Canada in Boston. “Unsolicited, they got on those trains and made their way to Nova Scotia. They provided help that was so necessary to people in need, people who had suffered a great tragedy.”
The tradition picked up in 1971, and the city has received a Canadian tree every year since.
This year’s tree is especially festive, Cuzner said, having been donated from Christmas Island.
The spectacle outside the Boston Common Visitor’s Center — giant tree, wafting evergreen scent, carols, Santa and all — drew a mixed crowd of children, park-goers, long-time residents, tourists and Christmas-enthusiasts.
“A real serendipitous moment,” said Jim Savage, looking on at the tree being hooked to a crane. “I’ve been a Bostonian all my life. After 78 years, this is the first time I’ve seen it arrive.”
“They always love to come down and see the tree,” said English High School teacher Karyn Sherman, gesturing to several special-ed students gathered. “It’s magical when its all lit up, but this part is fun too. Seeing the backstory, and before we came down, looking up the whole story and the history between the two cities.”
The tree lighting is scheduled for Dec. 1.
City councilor Kenzie Bok remarked this is an important time to celebrate the tree and remember the story behind it. Over the last years, with the marathon bombing, the pandemic and other hardships, Boston has responded by “conjuring the best versions of ourselves,” the councilor said.
“It’s important to remember that in really hard times, so many people stepped up and helped people, both here and in Canada,” said Bok. “It means a lot to us to have this annual marker.”
