A 6-Inch Spruce Sapling From a Grandfather’s 2004 Funeral Grew for 22 Years in a Campton Hills Yard, and Now It Is Chicago’s 113th Christmas Tree

A crane lifted a nearly 50-foot Norway spruce out of a Campton Hills front yard on Monday morning, Nov. 2, and set it on a flatbed bound for downtown Chicago. The tree began 22 years ago as a 6-inch sapling handed to a family at a funeral. It is now the city’s 113th official Christmas tree.

The Clark family of Kane County donated it. Amanda Clark, who spoke for the family, told NBC Chicago that her husband’s grandfather died in November 2004 and that the funeral home gave the family a sapling as a remembrance. Her husband planted it.

A Funeral Gift That Stayed in the Ground

According to NBC Chicago, the sapling was about 6 inches tall when it came home. It stayed where it was planted for more than 22 years, and Clark said the tree “has grown quite large over the years.”

The Chicago Tribune describes the donors as Mandy Clark and her family. Clark told NBC Chicago that the family did not want to simply cut the spruce down once it outgrew the yard. Instead, she said, they went looking for a way to “celebrate its life and legacy.”

Clark summed up the family’s view in a line to NBC Chicago: “It began as a gift of remembrance.” The tree that marked one man’s death is now a gift to the whole city, and it will stand in Millennium Park through the holidays.

A Crane, a Flatbed and 108 Submissions

NBC Chicago reported that the tree was cut early Monday, lifted by crane onto a flatbed truck, then wrapped and tied down for the trip. The Tribune reported that it was expected in Chicago on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events ran the search. As the Chicago Sun-Times reported when it opened, tree owners across the Chicago area could submit through Oct. 23 by emailing the department with their contact information, a short explanation of why the tree should be chosen and at least two photos, one from a distance and one close up. Norway spruce or fir trees were preferred.

Neal Heitz, the department’s director of event production, told NBC Chicago that the city received 108 submissions this year. He called that “a really good pool of applicants to choose from” and said the winner is “absolutely beautiful.”

What Happens at Millennium Park on Nov. 20

The spruce will be decorated before the lighting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 20, in Millennium Park. The Tribune reported that the event is free and includes fireworks and a livestream. The city calls it the “official start of the Chicago holiday season.”

The tree is expected to stay up through early January, according to CBS News Chicago. The Tribune reported that it is then taken down and turned into wood chips for city parks.

Where 113 Trees Began

CBS News Chicago traced the tradition back to 1913, when the first municipal tree was a 35-foot spruce lit by Mayor Carter H. Harrison Jr. before a crowd of about 100,000. The tree stood in Grant Park for more than 40 years, then moved to Daley Plaza in 1966. It reached Millennium Park in 2015.

For years the city assembled a “mega-tree” from many smaller trees, reaching 113 individual trees by 2008. CBS reported that after an investigation found the city had spent more than $300,000 on the work, the city returned to a single tree, first donated by the Weivoda family of Palos Heights.

The Tribune reported that the tallest tree the city has displayed was a 71-foot white fir. Last year’s tree was a 68-foot Norway spruce from Glenview, which the Tribune put at about 12,000 pounds. Patch reported that it came from the Mason family and was described as one of the largest in city history. This year’s spruce is smaller at nearly 50 feet, but it arrives with a story that began in a funeral home in 2004.

Why the Yard Tree Contest Keeps Going

The Clarks’ spruce is the latest in a run of yard trees that have gone from private property to a public square. The Tribune reported that the city has picked its official tree through contests or nominations since 2009, and that the tradition itself goes back more than a century.

The Clarks entered a tree with a family story attached. The lighting on Nov. 20 will give far more people than the family a chance to see it, on what the city calls the first night of its holiday season. Homeowners who want to plant a tree of their own can find November planting steps from extension experts on this site.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Natasha Jelezkina from Chicago, USA – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons