After a three year hiatus due to COVID-19, the city of Boston put up the beloved Christmas tree in Faneuil Hall Marketplace last Wednesday to kick off the holiday season.
Though Thanksgiving has yet to happen, the city is getting in the Christmas spirit by putting up trees all over town.
Since COVID-19 put a damper on celebrations the past few years, there have been far less tree lighting ceremonies. Before the height of the pandemic, Boston typically had large events to celebrate the season in Boston Common, Copley Square and the trellis within Columbus Park, among others.
This year, though, there will be no “Blink” light show in Faneuil Hall. Santa will be there to flip the switch and light the 30-foot Norway spruce from Honesdale, Penn. on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
“The tree brings so many people into the Marketplace,” said Taylor Manigualt, the brand operations manager at PINK in Faneuil Hall. “After years of no tree and very little traffic [compared to before COVID-19] it’ll be nice to see people coming back to Faneuil Hall for more than just shopping and the food.”
Businesses in the outdoor marketplace tend to see a steady decline in business this time of year, despite holiday shopping and sales.
“Because it’s all outside, when the weather is cold we lose business…hopefully the tree lighting brings in some traffic that we wouldn’t usually see without it,” Manigault said.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Boston Common tree lighting and will feature a 37-year-old, 45-foot white spruce from Nova Scotia, who has been gifting the city a tree every year since 1971 to honor Boston’s immediate assistance after the 1917 Halifax Explosion.
The Boston Common’s annual lighting ceremony will take place on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 6–8 p.m. and will be hosted by WCVB Channel 5’s “Chronicle” crew.
Macy’s in Downtown Crossing lit their Christmas tree on Nov. 12, and the Seaport opened up “Snowport,” an outdoor winter wonderland featuring local vendors, food and games such as Battleship and bocce, on Nov. 11.
“Light Up Seaport,” the official Seaport tree lighting, will take place on Dec. 2.
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