Nova Scotia Presents 45-Foot White Spruce to Boston for the Holidays

The 54th annual Boston Common Christmas Tree has arrived. This year's tree is a 45-foot white spruce donated by Nova Scotia. Its arrival in the city marks another chapter in the long-standing friendship between Boston and Nova Scotia, rooted in the aid Boston provided to the Canadian province after the Halifax Explosion in 1917.

According to MassLive, the massive explosion, which injured and killed hundreds of people in Halifax on Dec. 6, 1917, occurred when a supply ship, bound for the Western Front of World War I Europe, hit another vessel. The impact created a gigantic fireball that reached 9,000 degrees. The crash resulted in a shockwave that traveled at 3,400 mph, shattered windows 50 miles away, led to a tsunami 35 feet tall, and resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,900 people, according to the Boston Herald.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu welcomed the tree's arrival, underscoring the tree's symbolism of international friendship and community partnership.

"Every winter, the most beautiful tree in the oldest park in America is lit up to the delight of all of our Boston families," she said in a statement shared with MassLive. "This is a gift that lights up our Common and lights up our hearts, honoring our partnership and friendship."

Nova Scotia sent Boston its first Christmas tree in 1918. The tradition resumed in 1971, and the Canadian province has sent a tree to Boston every year since then. Ronald and Claire Feener of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, nominated the tree that was grown and donated for this year's holiday display in Boston Common.

“This is more than a Christmas tree to people from Nova Scotia,” Canadian Consul General Bernadette Jordan, who joined Wu at a recognition ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 18, said. "The people of Boston stepped up in our darkest hour to help us, the people of Nova Scotia. And we will never forget that, no matter what happens in the world. That friendship is one that will always be important to us."

Boston will light the tree during a ceremony on the Common on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The tree will be lit at about 7:55 p.m., according to the Boston Herald.