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The big one. The daddy. The mother. The tree to end all trees. The baddie with the branches. Call it what you want, but when it comes to Central London Christmas trees, there’s one that deserves respect over all the others – and that’s the Trafalgar Square spruce.
Gifted to the capital every year since 1947 by the good people of Norway (cheers guys!) to say thanks for British support during WWII, the iconique tree is currently on its way to London for yet another season of good cheer. The tree has quite an exciting route to its Zone 1 home, cut down during a ceremony attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the British ambassador to Norway and the Mayor of Oslo. What a crew! It then comes to London on a boat and is decorated with lights in the traditional Norwegian fashion – vertically! The lights are energy-efficient bulbs, too – they must have read our recent sustainability issue, right?
This year the tree will be unveiled in a jolly ol’ lighting ceremony on December 2 and it’ll be in prime position until just before Twelfth Night, before it’s mulched. Don’t be too sad about the mulching however, it’s mulched for a good cause, chipped and turned into compost, so it can provide sustenance for other plants and such. The true meaning of Christmas, maybe?
After a year off, carol singing will return to Trafalgar Square, with choirs from across the capital appearing under the tree to belt out festive faves. Pop down and get stuck in. And have Merry Christmas, yeah?