Christmas tree custom and Bond - 22nd December 2023

Crowds attended the chopping down of a 20 metre high tree in the forests outside Norway's capital. The huge tree had been picked out as an annual thank you gift to be presented to London, as Oslo's mayor, Anne Lindboe, explains.

Anne Lindboe: "This is a very, very important tradition for us in Oslo. The Christmas tree that we're sending to London every, every year, it's a token of gratitude for the help that we received during the Second World War."

After Germany had invaded Norway in 1940, King Haakon found safety in London and it's always been the belief that the Christmas tree gift was at the monarch's personal request. The long tradition began in 1947, soon after the conclusion of the Second World War, and is now in its 76th year.

What has recently come to light is the tree's possible link to James Bond.

Documents found in the National Maritime Museum, London, reveal that the Royal Navy had brought back a Norwegian commando responsible for the safe transport of two trees. They were to be presented to the Norwegian king by the soldier, Mons Urangsvåg.

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, somehow found out about the mission and went on to invite the commando to a meal in a high-end restaurant in central London, close to Trafalgar Square. At some point while dining, the two decided to tie the tree to some metal railings in the famous square.

Whatever the truth of the story, the gift of the tree has become a sign of peace and cooperation between the two capitals. The Mayor of Oslo and the Mayor of the City of Westminster, where the square is located, both attend the chopping down and later the lighting ceremony, in the heart of London.

Anne Lindboe: "But it's also become to mean so much more. And, and we are living in these really, really dark times. And now I think the Christmas tree, it symbolises peace, it symbolises standing together, friendship between cities."