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Fortunately, a shifting coalition of individual donors, Chappaqua business owners, and a local tree company took on the responsibility of providing funds and labor to continue the annual tradition. The first lighting of the tree each November became an important community event. During the holiday season, informal groups would gather on the south shore to admire the view and sing carols. The Duck Pond Christmas Tree was retitled the Duck Pond Holiday Tree, to make it more inclusive.
In time, though, the tree fell victim to its own success. Originally about 30 feet high, every year it grew taller and taller – Norway spruces are notably fast growers. Eventually it became so tall that its upmost branches couldn’t be reached to replace burnt-out bulbs and aged wires. For a while, the wiring was reconfigured short of the treetop to create the illusion, after dark, of a complete tree, but the effect was not entirely successful. At some point after 1985 (the precise date is unknown) the loyal donors and volunteers gave up the struggle, and the tree went permanently dark. Later still, it became unstable and a threat to neighboring homes, and had to be cut down.
When the historical society moved into the Horace Greeley House in 2000, we inherited a tree with lights installed by the previous owners. Again, it was a Norway spruce, already uncomfortably tall, still growing, and far too close to the building. In 2005 we replaced it with a Colorado spruce, a species that is supposed to top out much lower than a Norway. It has grown substantially since, and is now a prominent feature of downtown Chappaqua. On Sunday, December 10, when the tree lights are turned on for the holiday season, we should all be very thankful for the continuing generosity of Bill Davies and the tall crane of Westchester Tree Life in making sure that those lights still reach the very top.
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