The Holiday Season Has Officially Begun — Prospect Tree Is Lit!

Well, Maplewood, it's officially the holiday season: today, the Prospect tree has been lighted. Taller than the town tree, and more spectacular in its illumination, the Prospect tree, although privately owned and decorated, is a town favorite and a sign that it's time to get into the holiday spirit —seriously. You can find the tree on Prospect Street at The Crescents, just north of Tuscan.

Want to know more about the tree?

A version of this article first appeared on Patch on Jan. 1, 2010:

"It's our Christmas present to the town," Steve Burns told Patch in reference to the towering conifer in his Prospect Street yard that his family decorates every year.

Every year, workers from festoon the tree with lights, using a cherry picker to start stringing from the top of the tree on down.

In 2009, Steve Carew and his crew adorned the tree with 48 strands of lights, each 25 feet long. With growth, that amount could increase this year. Crates full of ornaments will round out the decorations for the 40-plus-year-old tree.

"Two homeowners ago," Burns told Patch, "the family bought this tree instead of an indoor Christmas tree." When the Burns family moved into the house in 1995, Steve Burns was eager to decorate, but that dream wasn't realized until 2000.

That first year, he had an electrical outlet installed on the side of the house. When workers from Carew Tree Service arrived, Burns remembers they laughed. The outlet wasn't nearly enough power for what Burns had planned for the tree. "Next thing you know," he said, "I have an electrician installing a whole new panel in the basement and we bought an industrial timer." The panel is used once each year, but it's worth the effort for the family. 

"The lights and decorations take two days to put up and one to take down," explained Burns. The Carew crew works carefully, said Burns, "with a lot of care." 

Many neighbors and passers-by have told the family it's not Christmas until the tree is lit. "I can't tell you how many people send cards, drop off notes, call when they see the tree," said Burns. "There are people we hear from once a year, and it's when the lights go on." Neighbors often offer suggestions, as well.

"Over the years," reflected Burns, "this has become an important thing we do for us and for the town."

Burns noted the tree continues to grow, so the design changes slightly from year to year. After Epiphany, on Jan. 6,  a Christian holiday that celebrates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, Carew's staff will remove the lights and ornaments.  They'll be stored carefully in anticipation of next Christmas.