Christmas Tree at the Vatican

The Vatican Nativity and Christmas Tree a few years ago

One of the most imposing Christmas trees erected at this time of the year is undoubtedly the one in the St Peter’s square in the Vatican. It is usually set up next to the obelisk in the center of the piazza, next to a large life-size nativity. This year’s tree was supposed to have arrived on the feast of St. Nicholas, December 6. Instead, the 82-foot-tall evergreen tree arrived a day earlier on December 5. The team of lumberjacks had left the town of Waldmunchen, Germany at 7 a.m. on December 2 and got to Rome exactly 72 hours later. They had left earlier than planned to beat bad weather expected in the North. This despite an earlier bit of trouble, when a mechanical defect grounded the helicopter with which they had intended to lift the cut tree from its forest home. They ended up using a crane to transfer the conifer onto the open semi-truck that took it all the way to Rome. The tree will be decorated with lights and the Nativity set up over the next few days, and will be in place for at least the feast of the Epiphany.