Light the Baldwin Christmas Tree

For many years, our family has decorated the incredibly tall pine tree at our house at the corner of Harte Street and Irving Place for the holidays each year. Our mother Joan Giles started this tradition in memory of my father, as it had always been his dream to light the tree. At 85ft tall, typically taller than the Rockefeller Center tree each year, it took years to find a company willing and able to undertake the task. Once we found them, we’ve delighted in decorating it annually. It can be seen many blocks away and its lighting signals the start of the festive season.

The tree brings my family true joy. But over the years we’ve come to realize how many people in the Baldwin community enjoy the Christmas tree just as much as us! Each year we receive Christmas cards from the community thanking us for the tree. Neighbors have sent us photos of it, and even paintings! We often peek out the window during the holidays to see visitors stopping to take photos under the tree, or simply slowing down to admire it.

For the past two years we’ve even had the joy of being included on the Baldwin Fire Department’s Santa route, as he drives around town ringing in the holidays. Santa always stops for a photo with the tree too!

Sadly, we lost our mother last year after a long battle with heart disease. This year, we need your help to keep the lights on in her memory! We desperately want to continue the tradition of lighting Baldwin’s Christmas tree, but we need your help to keep the tradition alive.

The cost of lighting the tree is around $6,500 annually. This figure includes the hanging of lights (and the incredible cherry picker that comes to accomplish it), replacing strands the squirrels nibble through, maintenance through the holiday period, and the removal of the lights after the new year. The cost is more than my sister and I can manage, and so we are asking for your help.

100% of your donation (after GoFundMe fees) will go directly to fund the tree lighting and expenses. Any excess will be put forward to next year as we hope to be able to continue this tradition for many years to come. We can also accept donations via Zelle or PayPal and welcome any local businesses that would be interested in sponsoring the tree.

We hope you will join us in keeping this beautiful Baldwin tradition alive. We wish you a festive and happy holiday season! Thank you in advance for your time, interest, and donations.

Katie & Liz Giles