Every year since 1947, Norway, or more precisely, the city of Oslo, has gifted a Christmas tree to the UK to put up in Trafalgar Square. The gesture is made to express their gratitude for being allies during World War II.
It’s a beautiful tradition symbolizing solidarity and friendship; however, in the last few years, Brits have been kind of underwhelmed by the trees Norway has gifted them. And this year they had a pretty strong reaction to it.
People were pointing out that the tree has sparse branches and looks like it’s suffering. We invite you to look at the best reactions Twitter users had and at the end of the article, you’ll see what the Trafalgar Square Tree had to say for itself.
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When Londoners saw the Christmas Tree that Norway gifted them, they were disappointed, but it didn't make their sense of humor go away
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Image credits: danbarker
The Christmas tree in London’s Trafalgar Square is lit up every year on the first Thursday of December and is displayed there until 6 January. The tree comes bare, but London decorates it in a traditional Norwegian style, meaning the lights are put up vertically.
This year’s lighting ceremony takes place on 2 December and will include speeches from the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Mayor of Oslo. People who come to see it lit up will enjoy performances from the Salvation Army, the Poetry Society and The Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields and reading from young ambassadors from Westminster Befriend a Family.
People were poking fun at how sad the tree looks as it seems it's missing branches
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The first time a Christmas tree was sent to the UK was actually in 1942. Norway’s king Haakon VII was in exile in Great Britain trying to rule his country from London during the years of German occupation. Because he was in the UK, Norway transported a Christmas tree there as a gift for him, but now it’s meant for the city.
The main joke was that they were still waiting for the rest of it
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Twitter users couldn't help but insert some Brexit jokes as for some it was a victory, but for others it was an embarrassment
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Actually there is a plaque at the base of the tree that says, “This tree is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45. A tree has been given annually since 1947.”
The Christmas tree that is meant to be put up in Trafalgar Square is chosen months in advance, sometimes even years. They cut a tree from the forests surrounding Oslo, it is cut down some time in November, and there is a whole ceremony with the British Ambassador to Norway, Mayor of Oslo, and Lord Mayor of Westminster attending it. The Christmas tree is typically a Norway Spruce that has lived for 50-60 years and is about 20 meters (65.6 feet) tall.
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Even though it is a gift from Norway, people didn't let that stop them from roasting it
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Then it is shipped to the UK by sea, later transported to its spot in London by a lorry. As mentioned, the tree remains in Trafalgar Square until just before the Twelfth Night of Christmas. When it is taken down, it is then recycled by chipping and composting to make mulch.
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Norway has actually gifted a tree every year since 1947 as a token of gratitude for the help during WWII
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It’s the 74th time the tree has been received as a gift, so it has become the start of the countdown to Christmas for Londoners. However, for the last few years, they've felt like the accent of the Square is too underwhelming. That is evident from the reactions when they saw the tree being put in place before the ceremony of lighting it.
One Twitter user, Dan Barker, put up a photo of the sad-looking tree and announced that it has arrived. People were quick to react and filled the comments with sharp remarks.
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Some people saw a metaphor in the poor state of the tree which reflected the difficult year the UK endured
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Many people were joking that it seemed that a part of the tree was missing and they should wait for the other parts to come in. Others were jokingly concerned that the Norwegians are mad at them for some reason.
Of course, Twitter users couldn’t forget the jokes about Brexit and customs. They were saying that the tree is a good metaphor for last year being horrible in general for the country.
Though people laugh, it is still a beautiful gesture reminding people of how united they were when the world was falling apart
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If you didn’t know, you will be delighted to learn that the tree has its own Twitter account. It saw Dan Baker’s tweet and the comments people made. It addressed the lack of branches by saying that they are social distancing and that it stands in Trafalgar Square to commemorate the true friendship between two countries and not for being mocked on Twitter.
The Trafalgar Square Tree itself said that it's the thought and meaning that counts
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Image credits: trafalgartree
It does have a point, the tree is not just a gift but a reminder that when bad times come, people are there for each other and that should be celebrated even through better times. It’s nice that Norway still continues the tradition and it’s unfortunate that the tree might have suffered a little bit in the journey. And also, you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.