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NARRATOR: From our city to yours...
I wanted, if I did it,
for my grandsons to be old enough to appreciate it.
WOMAN: Mary Lou Milligan knew she had a beautiful tree in her yard
and that, one of these years,
it could become the Tree for Boston.
About a year ago,
representative from DNR came knocking.
And he asked if I'd be interested.
And I thought "Well, this is my opportunity." I said "Yes."
And, uhh, the the boys are young.
And they may not appreciate it so much today.
Uhh, but, in in the future,
maybe they'll be able to look back
and say "My nan's gave her tree", you know?
In 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax harbour,
causing the biggest manmade explosion to date,
now known as the Halifax Explosion.
Much of the city was destroyed
and close to 2,000 lives were lost.
The city of Boston was the first to send aid.
And Halifax has never forgotten
the relief they provided.
A giant Christmas tree has been sent to Boston every year
for the last 42 years as a symbol of thanks.
And this year, Mary Lou's tree was chosen.
Scott Whitmore is the Consul for the
U.S. Consulate General Office in Halifax.
I'm from the Boston Area. And growing up,
this was always a big tradition that we celebrated.
And coming up here to Halifax
to represent the U.S. Consulate and the United States,
I thought this would be a great opportunity
to not only see what this event is all about,
but also to express the gratitude that Boston has
for Halifax and Nova Scotia.
Tim Whynot is Manager of Stewardship and Outreach
for the Department of Natural Resources.
He says there's a criterium that must be met
to become a potential Tree for Boston.
We put out public calls to try to find a tree,
a suitable tree, 40' to 50', 12 m to 15 m.
We have a standard.
It has to be symmetrical. It has to be dense.
Usually, it's, uhh It always has to be an evergreen.
But usually, it ends up being a white spruce.
We have sent some red spruce. And we like to send balsam fir.
But they usually don't live that long, get that large.
After a send-off ceremony in downtown Halifax,
the tree makes its way to Boston
to be decorated and put on display in the Boston Commons.
Mary Lou Milligan is excited for her tree
to reach its new home.
It's the gesture of giving.
Uhh, I felt, like I say, it was a good tree.
Uhh, and so, now it can be appreciated
by hundreds and thousands, really.
Jennie Bovard, AMI Halifax.