It’s that time of year again. The annual defenestration of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree.
What used to be a celebration of a charming and poignant gift from the City of Oslo to the City of Westminster is now a chance for a classic Christmas trolling.
Look, there’s no point denying it: the spruce is sometimes sparse and therefore garners admonishment. But, if you had just been plucked out of a forest and tied to a truck speeding down to London from near the Arctic circle, you probably wouldn’t look your best either.
Unbelievably, lots of people have an unsolicited opinion on the tree’s appearance. “It’s got too few branches”, “The lights aren’t special enough”, “It’s not as good as the one in Claridge’s” and even dreaded demands of “send it back!” have been heard. How can one tree incite such a reaction?
Reportedly, officials are so spooked that branches from fuller parts of the trunk are being sawn off and grafted onto the balder bits. This is a conifer with some serious body issues. No wonder it’s shedding, it’s probably the stress of trying to look its best.
The gift from Norway, once a proud symbol of the unity of two nations standing together against an occupier and oppressor, is now as divisive as Leave/Remain.
Yes, it gets political. In 2021, such was the tree backlash on social media, that Oslo Council held a vote on whether to send a new and better tree. It didn’t in the end, but the point was made: the governing party could not be trusted to choose the best fir.
Why have we become accustomed to ostentatious celebrations of Christmas? There’s beauty in simplicity too. Like most things, a sacred religious festival has become a form of entertainment. What should be an opportunity to reflect, contemplate and give becomes another opportunity to create one upmanship – on tree quality.
Perhaps people don’t understand that the tree is not a mere decoration, it’s a symbol. When the Nazis invaded Norway, King Haakon VII launched a daring escape and ended up in London with his cabinet. He didn’t flee or give in, he was a point of hope and resistance for his people. The tree was a gift from a Norwegian soldier to his King in exile and since 1947 has been a thank you to us for our role in freeing Europe from tyranny.
So, if you happen to walk past Trafalgar Square over the festive season do think about what a feat getting that tree back would have been during the war, and possibly what state it would have been in when it got here and how grateful the Norwegians who had left home were to see that tree.
Like all gifts we receive that don’t live up to our wildest dreams, we grin and bear it because it’s the thought that counts. We don’t love the tree because of the way it looks, we love it because it reminds us that times have been bleak, and even as we face our own uncertainties there is hope. And if you can’t do that, then the Christmas message to take away is get over it – it’s just a tree.