A massive Monterey cypress tree is serving as this year's official Christmas tree in San Francisco.
It may not look like a traditional Christmas tree, but it brought a lot of holiday cheer to Golden Gate Park during the annual tree lighting Thursday night.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department decided not to hold a public event to light what they call “Uncle John’s tree,” to honor the man who built Golden Gate Park, John McLaren.
“It has been lit every single year at this time since 1929,” said General Manager Phil Ginsburg.
Ginsburg told KCBS Radio that they usually have festive refreshments and a toy donation station nearby, but due to the pandemic, those plans have changed.
“It’s very sad that we’re not able to do it this year, but we felt it was important that people still get to enjoy the tree in a healthy way,” he said.
Ginsburg noted that the Monterey cypress tree doesn’t look much like a traditional Christmas tree, but it does have special meaning and bring hope to those around it.
“This tree really connects us to family, it connects us to nature, and it connects us to joy, which is something we could all use a little bit of right now,” he said.
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