How does London welcome its Norwegian Christmas Tree?!

The world’s most famous Christmas tree historically sails into Immingham Dock on the last leg of its 400km journey from Norway to London.

Once in Trafalgar Square, the 21-metre tall tree is decorated in traditional Norwegian style, ready for the switching-on ceremony usually the first week of December.

This year’s tree is between 115 and 120 years old and is the 66th to be sent to the UK as part of a tradition which started in 1947 to thank Britain for its support during the Second World War.

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is traditionally a Norwegian spruce (picea abies). It is described as “the queen of the forest” by the Norwegian foresters who select it each year for shipment to the UK.

The King of Norway escaped to Britain during the Second World War, while his country was occupied and set up an alternative government in London for five years until the end of hostilities.

During the war, the Norwegian resistance secretly sent a tree from Norway each year to make the King feel closer to his homeland. As a symbol of friendship and to thank the British people for helping Norway, every year since then, the Norwegian government has sent a fir tree to Britain.

The tree, set up in Trafalgar Square, is probably the most famous Christmas tree in the world all 500 white lights, are lit from noon until midnight each day during the Christmas period until 6 January.

Afterwards the tree is recycled by being chipped and converted to compost.