Every year a special, very large tree is sent from the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia to the people of Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Christmas Tree
Generally, the tree selected by an individual with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources comes from a private land owner.
Peter Romkey who once held the job of Christmas Tree Extension Specialist in Nova Scotia told Boston Globe Correspondent Keith O'Brien that it’s important to remember the locations of the best specimens.
He travelled far and wide in the province when people reported that they had the right tree. Most of them did not meet these specifications:
- Balsam fir, white spruce or red spruce
- Forty-five to fifty feet tall
- Healthy with good colour
- Medium to heavy density
- Uniform and symmetrical
- Easy to access
Tree Extension Specialist Ross Pentz is now responsible for finding the perfect tree. On the day when it is trussed, felled, and loaded onto the truck, news crews and hundreds of school children are there to watch.
Harvested in the Fall, the tree is transported to the Boston Common in November then, lavishly decorated with lights, it is the focal point of the city’s annual Christmas festivities. Why do the people of Nova Scotia present this gift?
Halifax Explosion
On the morning of December 6, 1917 two ships, one loaded with munitions, the other with relief supplies, collided in Halifax Harbour. The resulting fire and explosion devastated the city with almost 2,000 dead and about 4,000 injured. Whole neighbourhoods were destroyed. As stated in the "Science of Tsunami Hazards, Vol. 23, No. 3", the tsunami caused by the explosion "quickly dissipated as soon as it entered the Atlantic Ocean". A record-breaking snowfall struck the city the next day. Calls for help went over the wires.
Boston's Response
Several prominent businessmen and the Massachusetts governor who formed a Halifax Relief Expedition, arranged for a special train to depart that evening. Upon arrival with their supplies, the doctors and nurses found that relief trains from neighbouring provinces had arrived, but all help was urgently needed and gratefully received. An emergency hospital was set up for blast victims and a complete medical unit arrived from the Harvard Medical School.
Soprano Nellie Melba and violinist Fritz Kreisler performed at a sold-out benefit concert with the Boston Symphony. In her book, "Curse of the Narrows", author Laura M. MacDonald writes that "a riot nearly broke out" when a flood of Bostonians tried to donate supplies for a boat headed to Halifax.
All available military personnel worked to rescue survivors who were trapped beneath debris and at risk of dying from exposure. The Boston relief team stayed to assist and resettle victims long after the rescue efforts were completed.
As an expression of gratitude, Halifax sent a large Christmas tree to Boston in 1918. The gift became an annual tradition in 1971.
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