page_title: Boston Christmas Tree
section_title: Tree arrival and lighting
hierarchical_section_title: Boston Christmas Tree / Tree arrival and lighting
caption_attribution_description: English: A Town Crier and Santa Claus welcome the Boston Christmas Tree from Ainslie Glen, Cape Breton Island on the Boston Common.
context_page_description: The Boston Christmas Tree is the City of Boston, Massachusetts' official Christmas tree. A tree has been lit each year since 1941, and since 1971 it has been given to the people of Boston by the people of Nova Scotia in thanks for their assistance after the 1917 Halifax Explosion. The tree is lit in the Boston Common throughout the Christmas season.
context_section_description: The tree arrives in Boston under police escort.  In the same way that schoolchildren see the tree off in Nova Scotia, schoolchildren from Boston are on hand to welcome it to the Boston Common.
  The tree lighting takes place on the Common in late November or early December.  The event attracts about 20,000 people and 200,000 watch the broadcast on WCVB.  The 1998 tree required more than 3,200 man hours to decorate, as well as 4 ¹⁄₂ miles (7 km) of wire and 17,000 multi-colored lights. The 2006 tree was covered in 8,000 bulbs.
  The tree donated by Nova Scotia was placed at the Prudential Center from 1971 until 2002, when it was moved to the Boston Common because of planned development.
caption: A Town Crier and Santa Claus welcome the Boston Christmas Tree on the Boston Common.
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