Boston Christmas Tree selected from Granville Centre

By Carolyn Sloan

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

The Hamilton family of Granville Centre have been receiving a lot of extra attention from their neighbours lately after their impressive 14-metre white spruce was chosen as Nova Scotia’s most famous Christmas tree.

Since 1971, a special tree is chosen each winter to send to the people of Boston, Massachusetts to express Nova Scotians appreciation for their help during the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion. The explosion on December 9, 1917, was caused by the collision of two ships in the Halifax Harbour, and resulted in the deaths of almost 2,000 deaths and thousands of injuries. Boston was the first to send relief, offering the services of doctors and nurses, and sending supplies. Back home, they held community relief drives to support those affected in Halifax. “Each year, we search long and hard to find a tree deserving of this honour,” says David Morse, minister of Natural Resources. “With great pride, we present this tree to our friends in Boston, whose outpouring of kindness in 1917 will never be forgotten.”

The Christmas tree is selected by the Department of Natural Resources, usually from a private landowner, and is delievered to the Boston Common where it is a focal point for the city’s annual tree-lighting ceremony.

The Hamilton’s are particularly proud that this year’s tree is coming from Annapolis County, as quite often, DNR will select a tree from the South Shore. The family’s tree was considered last year, but in the end, the department settled on one closer to their office in Bridgewater. “It’s just hard for them to find big free standing trees,” Christopher Hamilton explains. “It has to be 45 to 50 feet tall. This one’s 60 feet.” “They say it’s getting harder and harder to find a tree,” adds his wife Lisa. “They’ve been doing it for 30 years.”

The Hamilton’s watched in amazement as the tree received a significant “haircut,” and was bound up, ready to be cut and transported. Recently the couple hosted a crowd on their property, including school children from Annapolis Royal and Bridgetown who had come to watch the famous tree being cut down.