The Boston Tree: A Tradition of Gratitude

Written by: Shea McInnis

Thumbnail Photo by Алсу Ягудина on Unsplash

Like many cities, the City of Boston decorates a tree every year in their town commons. Though unlike other cities, the Boston tree comes from an international source – specifically, Boston receives a tree each year as a gift from Nova Scotia. The tradition of Nova Scotia sending a tree to Boston can be traced back over 100 years and has happened annually since 1971. Despite the heartwarming and generous nature of the tradition, it’s origin is linked to the biggest tragedy that Nova Scotia has ever experienced: The Halifax Explosion.

It was late fall in 1917, three years after the beginning of World War 1, and a month after The Battle of Passchendaele had just finished with a victory for the Canadian people. Halifax played an important role for the allies by connecting North America to Europe by sea. Troops and supplies coming from the United States, as well as the rest of Canada, funnelled through Halifax on their way to the front. It was business as usual in the harbour on December 6th and the SS Mont-Blanc was loaded with explosives from New York, and bound to leave for the European front.

The Mont-Blanc was not the only ship in the harbour that morning. The SS Imo, a ship on a relief mission for Belgium (at that point under German occupation), was also in the harbour. The ship was originally scheduled to leave Halifax for New York the day before but was delayed. In an unfortunate miscoordination that morning, the two ships collided and a fire started on the Mont-Blanc. Knowing of the Mont-Blanc’s cargo, naval officers were sent ashore to warn the people of Halifax. Among those warned was Vincent Coleman, who famously signalled for trains to stop outside the city. Shortly after the fire began on the Mont-Blanc, the cargo exploded and instantly flattened parts of the city. The resulting explosion was the largest explosion in the world prior to the advent of nuclear weapons, instantly killing  1800 people, and wiping out the Tufts’ Cove indigenous community. The explosion shattered windows throughout central Nova Scotia, and the shockwave was felt across the Maritimes. Following Halifax’s worst day in history, a blizzard rolled through the shattered city that night and caused many more to die of hypothermia.

Thankfully, Halifax was not left to dig itself out of the rubble, and support quickly arrived from both near and far. The City of Boston was one of the first to give support to Halifax, immediately sending a train of supplies before receiving a response back from Halifax. Bostonians hit the ground running in Halifax, and by 9 p.m. on December 7th, a makeshift hospital was constructed and operational with room for 60 patients. Much of the relief effort was organized in Boston, and Nova Scotians never forgot their immense show of support.

Photo by Roma Kaiuk on Unsplash

After a year of massive rebuilding efforts and ongoing support from others, Nova Scotia managed to quickly recover. In a show of gratitude for their immediate help, Nova Scotia sent a massive Christmas tree to Boston in December 1918. Years later in 1971, another Christmas tree was sent to show that Nova Scotia still remembered all that Boston had done to help. The public quickly latched onto the idea of showing continued thanks, and a tree has been sent every year since. Given the history of the tradition, Nova Scotians who have their tree picked to be sent to Boston view it as an honour and a privilege. The tradition is held in high regards by Nova Scotians, who follow the tree from the cutting, to being sent to Boston.

The process begins during the summer, as the Department of Natural Resources begins to look for trees that may potentially fit the bill. After the tree is selected, a public cutting event is held in November which marks the beginning of the move from Nova Scotia to Boston. Following the cutting, the tree is transported to Grand Parade in Halifax, and a send-off ceremony is held the day after the cutting ceremony. The tree then begins its journey to Boston, travelling out of Nova Scotia, through New Brunswick and Maine, before finally arriving in Boston (Massachusetts) in late November, where it is then decorated by Bostonians. A tree-lighting ceremony is held next.  The Premier of Nova Scotia, and the family who donated the tree, are normally in attendance. Given the scale of the operation, the process of moving the tree is celebrated both in Halifax and in Boston. Though sadly due to the ongoing pandemic, many of the public ceremonies were not possible due to public health restrictions. Despite this, the tradition continued and the Nova Scotian Christmas tree stands tall in the Boston Common.

The friendship between Nova Scotia and Boston, as well as the tradition of sending a tree to Boston, is a great example of finding a silver lining in a terrible situation. The Halifax explosion changed the face of Halifax and is one of the most devastating tragedies to occur on Canadian soil. The support given to Halifax in its darkest moment played an integral role in Halifax quickly bouncing back to what it was, and Nova Scotia continues every year without fail to show its gratitude for those who helped them most.