The Beginning of a Boston Christmas

Written by: Emma Kresge

Boston Common’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting garnered a crowd of hundreds for the 83rd celebration of the beloved New England tradition on Thursday, Dec. 5. Holiday joy was rampant throughout the park, with Bostonians sporting colorful necklaces and Santa hats as they held each other close in the chilly weather.

“It’s a really good environment,” said Paige Sweeney, a student at Boston University who was at the lighting for the first time. “It’s nice to see everyone holding each other, listening to the music.”

The current zeitgeist has been missing a sense of unity and wonder. Maybe it was the overpriced fried dough that reminded me of childhood state fairs, little kids play-fighting with lightsabers around the park, or ice skaters racing and tumbling around the Frog Pond, but, for a moment, Boston brought those feelings back.

And, I don't know, there’s something about watching a 45-foot white spruce tree decorated with 5,000 rainbow Christmas lights illuminating Boston Common in synchronicity with fireworks, confetti, and Christmas pop-rocks that just makes you feel really proud to be in this city we call Boston.

The headlining music act, Grammy-nominated band American Authors, shared similar Beantown pride before performing hits like “Best Day of My Life” and “Christmas Karaoke.”

“I went from dropping out of college down the street to playing the tree lighting here in Boston Common,” lead singer Zac Barnett said of his band, prompting applause from the crowd.

Love for Boston isn’t limited to New England natives. In fact, the tree lighting began as a symbol of solidarity between Boston and Nova Scotia. The Canadian province sends Boston a Christmas tree every year as thanks for sending help when an explosion devastated Halifax over a century ago. Unity runs deep through this lighting.

“It’s an unbelievable tradition. It goes back so many years,” said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston to the crowd. “We’re so grateful to Boston, to all of your contributions to Nova Scotia.”

Boston and Halifax weren’t the only unlikely pair of friends seen on Thursday: I watched Santa Claus and the Grinch shake each other’s hands on the sidewalk of the Common! Of course I had to catch a conversation with one of them.

The unofficial Santa of the ceremony, known by day as Tim Niles, is in his fourth year of dressing up and coming to the tree lighting. Children, teenagers, and adults alike waited with beaming smiles for pictures with him as I held up the line. As an apology, I allowed myself to get roped into taking photos for Santa and his fans for a few minutes.

Smiles never left the faces of those who got pictures. They walked away giggling at the snapshot they’d gotten with the Christmas icon, including me in their thanks for the photo.

When asked what his favorite part of the gig is, what brings him to the Common year after year for this tradition, Niles just referenced the minutes of photo-taking chaos I had been a part of.

“The kids being happy—that’s what makes me come back.”