In Central Park, pets are commemorated with a secret Christmas tree
Hidden in a corner of Central Park lives a tree that, if you walk past it at the right time of year, will share with you its secret identity as the Pet Memorial Christmas Tree.
The tree shines with hundreds of laminated photos, notes, ornaments and memorials to deceased pets.
There’s Milo, remembered as “A Good Boy,” and the “Al Dente Brothers,” who are “forever loved.” There’s Sherman, the eastern box turtle, Geo the fish, and Miss Parker, the “fearless, independent, and funny” squirrel from Central Park.
Decorated every year through the “Keeper of the Tree” and volunteers, the tree is a public expression of love displayed between Thanksgiving and Epiphany in January.
The keeper then stores each memento so that it can be hung again for subsequent holidays.
Dozens of new souvenirs for the tree arrived on Saturday, as a group led by Central Park NYC chapter of Ever Walk, a walking initiative across the United States and abroad, walked the Ramble to the secret location.
In the crowd, Kendra Oleckna, her husband, Robert Foote, and their 1-year-old Pomeranian, Stansha Rebotska, prepared to put up a memorial for their beloved Jazz, another Pomeranian who died a year ago.
Described as a feisty, handsome boy, Jazz was the couple’s best friend and caregiver who loved Mexican restaurants, she said.
Last month, Larry Closs, a writer and photographer, Posted an article detailing the tree’s history dating back to the 1980s, when casting director Jason Reddock, who had been walking his dog at the Ramble, noticed a tree with dog toys on it.
The next day, Mr Reddock was walking his dog again, accompanied by actress Nicki Gallas and her dog, when she noticed it too. They started a tradition of returning to the tree and bringing their own ornaments and souvenirs.
“Because the tree was evergreen and Christmas was only a few weeks away, the couple decided it was a Christmas tree and so the Pet Memorial Christmas Tree was born,” Mr Closs wrote.
“It’s always extremely moving and extremely moving when someone comes and they have, I call them, memories and memories,” he said. “You see them hanging it on the tree, you know, and there are inevitably tears. And it’s hard not to get choked up under those conditions.
Marianne Larsen, the tree’s current caretaker, who took over the role from Mr Reddock about five years ago after walking became too difficult for him, said the pandemic was “the big instigator” that led to a recent flood of photos.
“We added 200 photos in 2020,” she says. “In ’21 it was another 200, and in ’22 it was another 200. So now we’ve passed 600, and I think after today we might get to at least 750.”
The location of the tree was kept secret for decades and remains largely unknown. It must be found by chance, or someone must know where to look.
Standing by the tree with her dog Ulla on Saturday, Ms Larsen said part of the joy is discovering the tree.
“You walk by and say, ‘What is that?’” she said. “And if they take a moment to go inside, they’ll see it’s a memorial tree, because some people think it’s just a festive Christmas tree, but it’s not.”
Ms. Larsen said even people who have moved from New York stop by during the holidays to visit the memorials they left.
Kelli Lipson, her fiancé, Jorn Santegoeds, and their dog, Jakes, a 7-year-old Boston terrier mix, walked up to the tree with a photo in hand. The photo shows Nando, the couple’s 5-year-old French bulldog, who died in August of a brain tumor.
Ms Lipson said Nando not only changed their lives, but the lives of other dogs as well, as his short life had inspired them to start adopting pets.
“I will never buy another dog again,” she said. “He did a lot of good for the world, so we want to remember him.”