For many Londoners, the festive season doesn’t start until the 20-metre Norwegian spruce is installed over Trafalgar Square. Earlier this month, the 79th Trafalgar Square Christmas tree arrived in the capital, continuing a ritual that has bound London and Oslo for nearly eight decades.
The tree comes from a forest outside Oslo — a gift Norway has presented to the United Kingdom every year since 1947, offered in gratitude for British support during World War II. This year’s spruce, named “Ever Oslo,” is 65 years old and was chosen by experts and through a social‑media poll. It was felled last month in a ceremony attended by Westminster’s Lord Mayor, Paul Dimoldenberg, and Oslo’s Mayor, Anne Lindboe.
“It is a huge privilege to be a part of this wonderful tradition, and on behalf of the City of Westminster and London, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the people of Oslo and Norway for this wonderful gift,” Mayor Dimoldenberg said. “It will look magnificent in Trafalgar Square.”
The tree’s arrival has stirred debate. In recent years, some Londoners complained that the spruce looked sparse, comparing the city’s decorations unfavorably with those of other European capitals. One user on X said last year’s tree looked like a “cactus with Poundland fairy lights,” while another called it a “shoddy tree, decorated with no care or flair.”
This year, however, early reactions have been much warmer. “So elegant! Can’t wait to see you in your full Christmas splendour,” one user wrote. Another added: “Fantastic news! You’ll be very majestic as usual.” Still, dissent lingers. “They get worse each year,” one commenter insisted, while another declared, “That’s one ugly tree. Norway should be ashamed.”
The official lighting ceremony took place on Thursday, December 4, with the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Mayor of Oslo presenting the tree in its full display. Festivities included the Choir of St‑Martin‑in‑the‑Fields singing Christmas carols led by the Regent Hall Band of the Salvation Army, and a performance by The Corps of Drums from the Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines Collingwood. The tree will remain in Trafalgar Square until January 5, when it will be recycled.
The origins of the tradition go back to the Second World War.
London’s Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is a famed British custom with roots in the Norwegian forest, a symbol of wartime alliance and postwar gratitude. When Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940, King Haakon VII and his government‑in‑exile fled to London, where much of the resistance movement took shape. The BBC and Norway’s NRK broadcast news in Norwegian from London, a lifeline for citizens who listened in secret under the Nazi radio ban.
As a token of thanks, Oslo’s city government established the Christmas tree gift in 1947. The tree is always a Norwegian spruce (Picea abies), grown naturally in the Oslo forest. Several candidates are typically selected five to ten years in advance and receive special care leading up to the final choice. This year’s “Ever Oslo” beat out two other contenders — “Nordic Star” and “Fjord Fir” with the felling ceremony occurring on November 21.
After being cut, the tree was loaded into a special cradle and driven about 180 kilometres to a port, where it was rinsed to remove road salt. It then travelled 26 hours aboard a ship — stored below deck to protect it from seawater — to Immingham, about 239 kilometres north of Trafalgar Square, before completing its journey by truck. A replacement tree will be planted in the forest outside Oslo.
Billed on social media as “Britain’s national tree‑sure,” the lighting ceremony marks the start of London’s countdown to Christmas and is traditionally held on the first Thursday in December. The lights hang vertically, in accordance with Norwegian custom, with the tree remaining in the square until January 5, the Twelfth Night of Christmas, before being chipped and composted for mulch.
