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The Tree for Boston, a deeply rooted Nova Scotia tradition, comes from the aptly named community of Christmas Island this year.
Landowner Roddy Townsend and his children Angela, Carmen and Andrew have donated a 45-foot white spruce for the 2022 Christmas season, 105 years after the Halifax Explosion.
“The holidays are a time of reflection and gratitude,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “The Tree for Boston continues to be a sign of our deep appreciation for the aid Boston provided after the Halifax Explosion.”
The 1917 explosion devastated north-end Halifax, killed nearly 2,000 people and left thousands more injured and homeless. The first Tree for Boston was donated by Joseph Slauenwhite as a ‘thank you’ to Boston for sending medical personnel and supplies to the province within hours of the explosion.
Anyone able to attend is invited to the tree-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 16, on the Townsend family’s property at 8008 Grand Narrows Highway, Christmas Island, Cape Breton. Carmen Townsend, an award-winning musician, will perform a song she has written about the Tree for Boston, and a local Mi’Kmaq elder will conduct a smudging ceremony before the tree is cut.
For those eagerly awaiting the tree in Boston, the white spruce will then leave Halifax on Nov. 21 for a tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. on Boston Common.
“We are grateful to Boston and beyond excited to be a part of such a wonderful tradition. We feel this is going to bring a lot of happiness to the surrounding communities,” the Townsend family said. “The tree is such a special gesture of gratitude, hope and continuing friendship.”
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