News City Celebrates 82nd Annual Lighting of Common Holiday Tree by The Boston Sun Staff • December 7, 2023 • 0 Comments Mayor Michelle Wu joined Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and representatives from the Boston Parks Department on Thursday, Nov. 30, for the 82nd annual lighting of the Boston Common holiday tree – a 45-foot white spruce. Each year, a tree is delivered to the city from Nova Scotia as a token of appreciation for Boston’s help after two military ships collided in Halifax Harbor in 1917, resulting in an explosion that killed approximately 2,000.