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Panorama looks at the origins of the official City of Boston Christmas tree that
lights up the Hub every year
by Scott Roberto
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OTHER WAYS TO LIGHT UP YOUR HOLIDAYS
Holiday lights abound in the Boston area. Here's where you can see some of the best.
- Faneuil Hall Marketplace: Strings of white lights enliven this already lively shopping
area.
- Downtown Crossing: Filene's features a gigantic, lighted tree atop its Washington
Street facade.
- Harvard Square: Cambridge's Sparklefest sets the venerable square a-glitter.
- Back Bay: Commonwealth Ave. and Newbury and Boylston streets are annually aglow
for the season.
- Stone Zoo: The Zoolights festival at this gem north of Boston shines every year.
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Some gifts just keep on giving.and giving.and giving.
So it has been for the past several decades with the Christmas tree donated to the
city of Boston by the people of Nova Scotia, Canada. As befits the spirit of the
season, the tradition originated from an act of kindness when Boston came to the
aid of its neighbor to the north in its hour of need nearly 90 years ago.
In the days of World War I, Halifax, Nova Scotia was a bustling port for warships
headed to and from Europe. But the prosperity this brought came at a terrible price
when, on the morning of December 6, 1917, a Norwegian ship and a French ship laden
with explosives collided off the coast, causing a fire on the latter vessel. After
almost two hours adrift, the French ship came to rest at a Halifax pier, where it
soon exploded, ending the lives of nearly 2,000 people and injuring thousands more.
Boston, in the wake of the tragedy, was one of the first cities to respond, sending
much-needed supplies and a large contingent of emergency workers. Because of this,
the Canadian province has donated the Hub's
holiday evergreen since 1971. This year's lighting of the 46-foot white spruce on
Boston Common featured Mayor Thomas Menino, who flipped the switch on the electric
spectacle, and appearances by the Radio City Rockettes and the Red Sox's 2004 World
Series trophy with a contingent of Sox players and brass-not to mention Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus themselves. That's enough yuletide cheer to ensure a truly jolly
holiday season for all.
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