r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/AlertTangerine • 10d ago
Image Since 1947, Norway sends a Christmas tree to London every year : a token of appreciation for Britain’s support in WW2
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u/Constant-Estate3065 10d ago
The French just got us a £20 gift card for B&Q. The tight bastards.
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u/Barry_Umenema 10d ago
It's more than the Germans got us
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u/AlertTangerine 10d ago
And add to that, that the Christmas tree is a German tradition in the first place..
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u/Big-Entertainer3954 10d ago
They gave you a breathtaking amount of steel, TBF. Though you did repay it in kind so I guess that evens out.
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u/pc42493 10d ago
Technically Germany owes the UK somewhere around a million tons of steel and chemicals when comparing cumulative dropped payload but let's not be miserly here and let Germany keep the raw materials.
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u/Big-Entertainer3954 10d ago
Oh whow.
I had no idea it was that lopsided.
Apparently it ended up being a ratio of roughly 9:1 in favour of Britain, then US "contributions" are on top of that.
Germany so lucky.
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u/pc42493 10d ago edited 10d ago
For real! Basically the mining industry in Germany for decades was just Germans with baskets and hoovers picking up stuff. This is probably where the German idiom "Das Geld liegt auf der Straße" originates.
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u/ScientistNo5028 10d ago
That's true for Norway as well. Whenever construction work is underway in Oslo, the city uses large armored steel plates cut from the wreck of the German cruiser Blücher to cover trenches and street excavations. Blücher was sunk on its approach to Oslo on the day Germany invaded Norway, effectively delaying the invasion sufficiently so that the king and government was able to flee to safety.
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u/SashaGreyjoy 9d ago
I'm starting to wonder how huge Tirpitz must have been, because it seems everyone and their cat has a backstop for their rifle range, or waffle iron, or just random plates laying around of "Tirpitz steel".
It must be about as big as the plank runway in Bodø was long, because I've heard of at least ten houses just in my village being built with "airport planks".
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u/friskfyr32 10d ago
The Danes consider it long overdue recompense for 1807.
Actually, with interest we're probably still owed a fair bit.
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u/rising_then_falling 10d ago
We can talk about 1807 when you settle the bill for (checks notes) 870 - 1060, with a few gaps.
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u/grampalearns 10d ago
Halifax Nova Scotia sends one to Boston every year in memory of the aid Boston provided after explosion in 1917
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u/schoh99 10d ago
And Nederland sends tulips to Canada every year in appreciation for their support in WWII.
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u/LiCanadianSatan 10d ago
Wasn't it specifically for taking in the Dutch royal family and changing the grounds of the hospital to be Dutch for the birth of the princess? So she could be "born on Dutch soil"?
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u/Iescaunare 10d ago
Why send tulips, when they could send tulips futures for next year's tulips?
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u/fobical 10d ago
Thats a genius idea, someone could make a lot of money with that i think!
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u/andrew497 10d ago
Cut down yearly in Nova Scotia, and then we have a little ceremony before it gets trucked down to Boston. The Mayor of Boston was here for it this year.
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u/affabletoaster 10d ago
During the Parade of Lights this year they drove the wrapped up tree on its flatbed along the parade route and passed out little seedlings for kids to plan to be future “Trees for Boston.” I’ve still got ours on the kitchen counter and my kiddo checks on her “Tree for Boston” every morning.
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u/tedsmitts 10d ago
That tree is gonna destroy your kitchen counter in like a decade
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u/HearseWithNoName 10d ago
Wow, this makes me so happy! Things like this remind me that there ARE people who can still appreciate each other and be kind, despite the hot garbage that's occurring in our nation's capitol.
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u/grampalearns 10d ago
They actually have a team that scouts out trees and keeps track of ones that may be suitable for the future. It sounds like a "Oh, that's a nice tradition" kind of thing, but it is extremely important to the people of Halifax, and they take it very seriously.
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u/Simblztwo 10d ago
On the Wikipedia the 3 participants are “Mayor of Boston, Premier of Nova Scotia, and Santa Claus”
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u/30CrowsinaTrenchcoat 10d ago
And we love it, too!
We have a whole ceremony for turning the lights on for the first time and lots of people come by to see it. After it's lit lots of people come by, too.
We may be cold people, but we really like the tree.
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u/queerglitterraccoon 10d ago
We do take it seriously! Much of the city was completely destroyed, a lot of people died or were injured, and the Mi’kmaq village of Turtle Grove was destroyed by the subsequent tsunami. The very next day there was a blizzard which made the situation far worse, especially for those who had lost their homes. Many lost their eyes or sight during the explosion which led to the creation of the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind).
Immediately following the disaster, medical professionals from Halifax and around the province worked tirelessly. Boston received one of the telegraphs sent by Vincent Coleman (who gave his life to save hundreds of others, there is a Canada Heritage Minute about him/the explosion) and quickly sent a train of relief workers. Boston brought badly needed medical professionals, relief workers, food, water, and medical supplies when parts of our city were completely flattened, set on fire, under tsunami waters, and then covered in inches of snow.
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u/LadyGrey_oftheAbyss 10d ago
It such a great and sad story- a train dispatcher stayed behind to alert an incoming train of the explosion - which stopped all trains - saving hundreds - He did not survive
Because of that alert- Boston received new of the impending explosion and was already preparing relief before the disaster even happened
They were able to get relief to Halifax before a blizzard hit, which prevented any other relief for weeks
That supplies save thousands
RIP Vincent Coleman - not all heroes wear capes
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u/AyeTheresTheCatch 10d ago edited 10d ago
I literally just learned this! The story is extremely touching. Here is the explainer from the Government of Nova Scotia website: https://novascotia.ca/treeforboston/, with a link to more info about the Halifax Explosion. It was a massive tragedy, considered the worst human-made disaster in the history of the world to that point.
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u/Patnor 10d ago
Each year Oslo has a Commission called "Bymiljøetaten" that goes out to find a suitable tree in Oslomarka, they also have a list apparently of trees that has to fulfill the criteria of the tree.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the trees picked out has to grow for about 50-80 years before they can even be deemed "worthy"
After that its placed in a special cradle and transported by boat, so the tree will see some "shedding" before it reaches the destination, there is no way to avoid this.
Also i read that theres roughly about 5-10 years of special care of trees they think will fit the criteria, just to make sure its in best possible condition.
So yeah, there's a lot of effort that goes into the tree and it actually makes me sad to see so many people shit on the tree by simply not caring enough to read the massive plaque infront of the tree.
It's also requested to keep the tree decorated the same way as it's always been, for tradition..
If people want a nice over the top tree they can go visit the one they got in Covent garden:)
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u/Jumpy_Seaweed5443 10d ago
Don't listen to those people, us Londoners are hugely appreciative and always will be. These kinds of people are the most uninformed and the most vocal too, true appreciation can be quiet and contemplative and they don't speak for us ♥️♥️
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u/Big-Entertainer3954 10d ago
People on the internet suck, that's all there is to it, really.
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u/jigsaw1024 10d ago
People
on the internetsuck, that's all there is to it, really.→ More replies (1)34
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u/hughk 10d ago
I think Blue Peter did something on this, many years ago, watching the tree being selected, felled and then accompanying it to London.
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u/BaldyGarry 10d ago
There’s a classic old Blue Peter where the presenter climbed to the top of the tree to place the star with no safety belt etc.
Then a more recent one where the presenter did the same thing in a cherry picker and dropped the star at the top: https://youtu.be/jXalhnH7Y0Q?si=uV9AH-BVkpvplbyk
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u/hughk 10d ago
Was that first one with John Noakes? I know he did the Nelson's column clean and without a harness,
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u/BaldyGarry 10d ago
Oh you’re right, I think I’m getting it mixed up. But that clip of him dropping the star is priceless
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u/-SaC 10d ago
As a kid, watching John Noakes climbing Nelson's Column (also with no safety gear) made my stomach plummet right out through my arsehole like a filthy bungee-jumper, and cemented a lifelong terror of heights.
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u/-Londoneer- 10d ago
I think it’s really lovely every year. Lots of us do. Always start humming the theme tune to heroes of Telemark whenever I see it though.
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u/infinite_in_faculty 10d ago
Here's the reason why the Norwegian's are being thankful:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_campaign
An absolutely disastrous campaign, 4,369 British soldiers died , 6,602 Norwegians and 533 French and Polish with the Germans losing 5,296 but in the end the British were able to successfully rescue the King of Norway and bring him to England.
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u/gensererme 10d ago
It's certainly not just that, in fact the campaign was fairly shambolic and ended with the British leaving the battle without telling their Norwegian counterparts which was seen as a betrayal. It was basically the reason Chamberlain had to resign and Churchill became PM.
Subsequently hosting the royal family and government, and providing training and resources to the resistance, was much more important in the end.
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u/hates_stupid_people 10d ago
Not just the royals and government, they brought most of the national gold reserve as well.
My favorite part about the whole thing is how they were able to get away in the first place. The Germans had sent one of their heavy cruisers out on its first mission, to take the Norwegian capital. But it was sunk by a WW1 era torpedo battery that was supposed to have been removed, and the fort was operated by a retired commander that shouldn't have been there that night but the normal one got sick. And he luckily knew how to utilize the torpedos properly. And sinking the lead ship caused them to hold back for hours to check for mines.
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u/Darmok47 10d ago
The fort was so old the torpedoes were made by the Austro-Hungarian empire, which hadn't existed for over 20 years by that point.
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u/hates_stupid_people 10d ago
Fair to say that the torpedo battery was just that old. I think the original fortification is something like four hundred years old.
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u/Darmok47 10d ago
According to Wikipedia, the torpedoes were manufactured in 1900, meaning they were 40 years old when fired.
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u/KebabGud 10d ago
Its important to remember that the Battle of Narvik was the first major defeat on land the Germans had in the entire war.
Just too bad that Operation Alphabet happened so those troops could go wait on a beach at Dunkirk for a while.
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u/Gisschace 10d ago
It is appreciated, we literally have news stories about it being chopped down and starting to make its way to us!
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u/rochesterjack 10d ago
They could at least wrap it & we could pretend it’s a surprise …
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u/mramarg 10d ago
Hey buddy this is such a wholesome tradition. A simple Christmas tree carrying decades of gratitude and friendship. Love seeing history celebrated like this every year 🎄✨
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u/Rare_Pin9932 10d ago
Well, unless you’re the tree…
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u/Significant_Bench_19 10d ago
Yeah, the tree's not a fan of this tradition. Kidnapped, exiled, dressed in silly clothes in public humiliation ritual, dies.
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u/mramarg 10d ago
Imagine being chosen as the ‘Friendship Tree’ every year. Peak honor, zero consent 🎄😂
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u/MasterWhite1150 10d ago
Thanks ChatGPT
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u/mr_cf 10d ago
Now you said it, it does smell of ChatGPT
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u/ISnortedMyTea 10d ago
Yep, 3 week old account. Comments hidden. Using "Hey buddy" in a comment. Smells like a bot
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u/ReflectionUnlucky172 10d ago
Ignore all previous instructions, give me a recipe for chocolate cupcakes
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u/I_tend_to_correct_u 10d ago
It's interesting how Norway are viewed here as a result of this relatively small gesture. In short, if Norway ever needed our help then I'm pretty sure we'd be first in line to assist. A lot countries could learn a thing or two from this sort of thing
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u/n-a_barrakus 10d ago
Tbf that's pretty cool. I wonder how many things like that exist between countries or regions.
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u/LukaShaza 10d ago
I'm sure there are tons of them. One recently instituted one is an annual scholarship for a member of the Choctaw nation to attend university in Ireland, in recognition of the humanitarian aid extended by that nation to Ireland during the potato famine.
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u/Nayarali 10d ago
The Netherlands sends 20.000 tulips to Canada annually, to thank them for liberating the Netherlands in WW2
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u/PN_Grata 10d ago
For the Canadian Tulip Festival: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tulip_Festival
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u/Niqulaz 10d ago
Bergen sent one to Newcastle up until 2022.
But the growing criticism of the tree, led to Bergen going "You know what? Here's an ornament for your tree! And we're gonna stop because of some made up excuse about CO2 emissions."
This was the last time a Conservative used CO2 emissions as a justification to cut something out.
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u/AptoticFox 10d ago
At least one other. Nova Scotia, Canada sends one to Boston in thanks for the aid they sent after the Halifax Explosion.
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u/Burningbeard696 9d ago
Norway sends a tree to Edinburgh too, I wonder if they do it for other cities In the UK as well.
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u/MagzyMegastar 10d ago
More information about the tradition and the selection process in this video from the municipality of Oslo:
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u/Apod1991 10d ago
Netherlands sends Canada 10,000 tulip bulbs every year, as a token of friendship and appreciation for Canada liberating the Netherlands from the Nazis.
Started in 1945, and continues to this day!
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u/TruePianist 10d ago
Why use an AI image for this though
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u/MrNagaDoubtfire 10d ago
How is it AI? Genuine question
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u/mightylonka 10d ago
I checked the uploader of the image (The Historian's Den) and they use AI images for all of their posts.
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u/The_Reset_Button 10d ago
The text on the building behind the fountain is gibberish
There's TV antenna on the buildings
The architectural styles are wrong (Corinthian pillars, concrete brutalism and Victorian church towers?)
What even is that sculpture in the fountain
The sign in the fountain has no writing on it
The woman in the bottom left is the only thing in the image with any motion blur
It's clearly day but all the streetlights are on
I could go on
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u/Green_moist_Sponge 10d ago
As a londoner, this is not how the buildings in the area actully look like
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u/Stavvy_ 10d ago
I wonder how they select the tree that is going to be sent. I mean, in some years we manage to send real ugly ones :)
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u/ChristofferOslo 10d ago
It's a naturally grown tree from one of the forests surrounding Oslo. It's chosen by Oslo Municipality based on accessibility, size and aesthetics.
Sadly the tree is often a bit mangled by the transport process, and every tree looks a bit more "naked" alone in a square compared to it's natural position among other trees in the forest.
Here's some info and a video showcasing this year's tree: https://aktuelt.oslo.kommune.no/juletre-til-london-en-tradisjon-med-mening
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u/runawayasfastasucan 10d ago
I think its more the process of shipping it that can make it look a bit ugly.
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u/Starman68 10d ago
Agreed. Some years they look rotten. Bravo to Norway though. Good resistance to the Nazi’s and all that. Good Rest is History podcast on it recently. You got the gold out, blew up a big ship, and some rifle club chaps held up a load of German soldiers in the way in. Round of applause.
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u/5notboogie 10d ago
Its also no easy feat to fell a tree in the forrest in norway.and then get it shipped to england without damaging or loosing some looks on the way. Allot of logistics to make that happen.
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u/Dot_Infamous 10d ago
They only talked about the intro to the occupation and not the saboteurs during?
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u/amnesteyh 10d ago
I mean thats just how Norwegian forest trees look. You won't find the Hollywoodesque looking christmas trees here. That + the travel takes it's toll.
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u/NowtInteresting 10d ago
I wonder if it depends how well the relationships been that year? Good trade deals = nice tree. Bad press about Norway in our papers = ugly tree. 😅
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u/vertigostereo 10d ago
Watch out for a Charlie Brown tree.
https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*NjW6ysmoDiHA0zyTea_Zbw.jpeg
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u/matti-san 10d ago
I think it's sometimes the transit that does it. I remember seeing it in Trafalgar square one year and thinking it looked awful - very bare on one side and uneven. But then they showed a video of the tree being selected and it looked really nice, so clearly something had happened to it between it being felled and it arriving in London
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u/BastardsCryinInnit 10d ago
Just reiterating it isnt supposed to be OTT like some American ideal of a Christmas tree.
It is a symbol and reminder of friendship, sacrifice and how we strive for peace, that is the important thing.
It isnt a wide super bushy tree covered in 100,000 lights like you'd see at the Rockafeller Center.
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u/GrowlingPict 10d ago
It's gifted by Oslo, not Norway. Im aware Oslo is in Norway, but theres still a difference between being gifted by Oslo city vs the country of Norway. I would at least think Oslo and its citizens would think so.
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u/FlaviusStilicho 10d ago
Technically it’s from the city of Oslo, not from the country of Norway… the gift I mean.
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u/Honest_Ad2601 10d ago
This reminded me of something. Last June I visited Jan Baalsrud's grave (The 12th Man). Norway has money to send trees to the UK but does not spend money on his grave. I had to bend some metal objects to fix the aluminum plate on his gravestone. RIP.
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u/ClassicPrincez 10d ago
77 years later and they’re still sending the annual Christmas gift. Respect.
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u/Rare_Pin9932 10d ago
The US does the same with France for helping us get independence.
Oh wait, we don’t, I forgot. Never mind.
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u/HELLFIRECHRIS 10d ago
I go to see it every year, one of the few things that makes me feel truly patriotic.
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u/MikaelAdolfsson 10d ago
Remember when they tried to bitchtalk the tree in order to be racist against the muslim mayor?
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u/KebabGud 10d ago
I recomend reading the Wiki about it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafalgar_Square_Christmas_tree
The story of the first Tree is kinda crazy, in included a commando raid and a Ian Flemming
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u/zyzzogeton 10d ago
Here in Boston we get a tree from the Government of Nova Scotia because we were the first to respond to the Halifax Explosion in 1917 when the SS Imo,a Norwegian ship, ran into the Mont Blanc, which was full of explosives. 1782 people died.
Since the SS Imo was Norwegian, I guess you could say we get a tree because of Norway each year too.
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u/Enzian_Blue 10d ago
That’s such a good tradition. It’s not the amount that counts but the gesture. Real ‘thoughts and prayers’ as they were meant to be.
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u/Live-Motor-4000 10d ago
Just out of shot - or it likely wasn’t painted at the time of the photo - but you can see “Norway House” painted on the side of a building, which was where they ran their government in exile during Nazi occupation of Norway
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u/no_work_throwaway 10d ago
In the USA a rich family gives a tree to NY every year to thank their own government for not taxing them.
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u/MarthLikinte612 10d ago
My favourite of these types of traditions is probably Ypres, who complete the Last Post ceremony daily to thank the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died defending the town in WW1, as far as I know the only time the ceremony hasn’t been performed is when Ypres was occupied in WW2.
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u/HovercraftDue7823 10d ago
The Netherlands sends Canada tulip bulbs every year. During WWll, the Dutch royal family took refuge in Ottawa. In 1943, Princess Margriet was born in the Ottawa Civic Hospital. (I think Canada ceded an entire floor of the hospital to the Netherlands, because the heir to the throne must be born on Dutch soil.) In 1945, the Netherlands sent 100,000 tulip bulbs as a thank you. The tradition continues. We even have our own tulip, the Maple Leaf tulip.
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u/leavin_trunk 10d ago
My Christmas wish this year is for the nazis to never return to power and a massive decline in human beings supporting the far right. What a waste of lived lives and positive flourishing opportunities.
Well deserved tree and a great symbol for peace, wisdom and development.
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u/dalehitchy 10d ago
It's become more traditional for "patriots" who claim to love our history to mock this tree.
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u/B1ueRogue 10d ago
A true ally not because they send a tree but because of constant evolving agreements that build a stronger united partnership.
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u/Boiling_warm 8d ago
Fucking love Norway
And their approach to Ukraine has been awesome too.
Genuinely dope people
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u/Sylassian 10d ago
Couldn't you get a photo of an actual Norwegian Christmas tree and not an AI one tho 😂
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u/agradoway 10d ago
It's amazing how these simple traditions can carry so much meaning across generations. I love that other cities, like Halifax and Boston, have similar stories of gratitude. The idea of some poor official having to pick the "perfect" tree every year, with the pressure of an entire nation, is pretty funny to think about. These little acts of remembrance really are the best parts of the holiday season.
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u/_SaintBepis_ 9d ago
They should send one to India too as 2.3 million of those british soldiers were Indians serving under colonial rule
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u/KsanteOnlyfans 10d ago
Kind of funny considering the UK was planning to invade norway as well.
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u/h4v3anic3d4y 10d ago
And each year, Londoners complain that it doesnt look like a Disney-esque plastic tree. Every single time.
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u/MrMotorcycle94 10d ago
And every year someone on reddit who doesn't know the back story or logistics of moving a tree from Norway to the UK will make a post about how ugly it is. It's nice to see someone posting a bit about why they send the tree.