A sure sign of the yuletide season in Tavistock is the cheerily-lit Christmas tree at the five corners. This year marks the 80th year we’ve had a community Christmas tree. And it’s all thanks to the Men’s Club.

In 1938 The Men’s Club and Board of Trade, then a new organization in the village, revived the local custom of a Community Christmas Tree. They put up and decorated a large tree in what was then called the square (by the fountain). Even though it was the season of peace on earth and goodwill towards men, tensions flared with the PUC who refused to provide power to light the lights. Always resourceful, the Club moved the tree to the CNR yards where power was provided by an individual and the Christmas plans carried on.

Santa was asked fly in to distribute goodies to the children of the community. He replied by cablegram straight from the North Pole. But, of course, Santa needed to make a grand entrance so a parade complete with a float, decorated cars, the Boy Scouts and, of course, the Citizen’s Band, escorted the jolly old man from Sebastopol to the community tree. What a day! Santa gave out 600 packs containing nuts, candies, an orange and a popcorn ball to the community kiddies in attendance. That event became a Tavistock tradition.

While the tradition encompasses the tree and parade and Santa and candy bags and all the excitement that brings to young and old alike, this article focuses just on the community Christmas tree.

Each year the Men’s Club and Board of Trade (later renamed the Tavistock Men’s Club) named a small committee to manage the Christmas events with one or two men named to be responsible for the tree. Usually their task to source a tree was fairly easy but every once in awhile a plea would appear in the Gazette if a suitable tree was not forthcoming.

For the first 45 years it was a beautiful large real tree, cut especially for pride of place in the square, and strung with lights in holiday style. The PUC admitted they had been a bit hasty the first year and thereafter power was supplied to the tree in the square.

During World War II there were a few years when official edicts stated that lights on indoor Christmas trees were allowed to be turned on only from December 24 to January 1 and no outside Christmas tree lights were allowed at all. You could have an outside tree, just no lights.

Then there were a few years when the community Christmas tree blew over in high winds. While amusing to read about now, one can only imagine the dismay at finding the big beautiful tree on its side on a bed of broken bulbs a day after it took hours and hours to put in place.

In 1984 there was a slight change of venue. A decision was made to decorate the large tree beside Yantzi Hardware (now Tavistock Flooring). Still in the square. Still a real tree. But this tree was permanent, eliminating the requirement to find a tree each year. It was a good plan … until it wasn’t.

Years later, when the tree by Yantzi Hardware was cut down, the Men’s Club found a perfect permanent and quite unique solution. In 1996 the Men’s Club approved funds for a new flag pole / Christmas tree for the center of the village. As stated in the Club’s year end review in the Gazette “What could dress up our town more at Christmas than the brightly lighted tree at the five corners which in the summer appears to be a flag pole but by some sort of magic and courtesy of the Men’s Club turns into an air-borne Christmas tree in December?”

Indeed, what could. Thank you, Men’s Club. You’ve lit up the square and provided joy at Christmastime for 80 years … a true milestone. Merry Christmas.