By Nancy K. Crevier

"Trimming the Christmas tree" took on a different meaning Tuesday morning, September 16, as Dan Dalton of Growing Solutions and Jeff Davenport of New England Tree Movers swiftly pruned away stray branches at the base of a 35-foot white spruce, preparing it for its move from a Mt Nebo pasture to the Ram Pasture, where it will replace the holiday tree lost to a storm in March. The tree experts were not the only special people on hand at the property of Wayne and Bernadette Addessi on Tuesday, though.

Art and Jane Torrence had made a special trip from Plainfield back to their old hometown of Newtown. Standing side-by-side with Wayne and Bernadette Addessi, they watched as the spruce, one of 300 they had planted in 1985, was skillfully wrenched from the earth at the property where they had lived and raised their family — and Christmas trees — between 1967 and 2005. The spruce selected to replace the tree in Ram Pasture was one of several trees that grew too large to be sold as a Christmas tree, said Mrs Torrence, and so was left to grow as a thing of beauty.

"We decided to raise Christmas trees in the early 1980s," recalled Mrs Torrence. "We had been advised by the extension center in Bethel that this would be a good use for our property. So, along with our boys, Will, Bruce, and John, and our daughter-in-law Cindy, we planted the white spruce trees and sold holiday trees for years," she said.

The Addessis bought the antique home at 25 Mt Nebo Road in 2005 from the Torrences, and in the spring of 2008 they began taking down trees in preparation for future building. But when they read in The Bee that the Ram Pasture Christmas tree had blown down, Mr Addessi asked the tree workers to spare one of the spruce marked for removal. The Christmas Tree Committee accepted his offer to use the tree as the new Ram Pasture holiday icon, and the Addessis and the committee began planning to move the tree from his property.

Initially slated for earlier this summer, the committee and the Addessi family agreed that it would be healthier and wiser to move the giant fir in cooler weather. Mr and Mrs Addessi invited the Torrences to witness the moment when the sapling that they had planted so long ago became a part of Newtown's history.

As Mr Davenport maneuvered the huge eight-bladed tree spade into place, Mr Torrence shook his head in amazement. "It's awesome. I never thought one of those trees would be the town Christmas tree," he commented.

After numerous minor adjustments by Mr Dalton and Mr Davenport to ensure that none of the branches were crushed by the giant spade, one mighty heave lifted the tree up and over on top of the truck, where it was secured for the ride to its new home on Elm Drive. By 11 am, the staff of Growing Solutions and New England Tree Movers had the tree set into the hole in the southeastern corner of Ram Pasture that had been dug earlier that day. "It looks like it has always been there," commented Mrs Torrence.

Because the tree spade moves an entire ball of earth around the roots when taking a tree out of the ground, "This tree hardly even realizes it has been moved yet," said Mr Dalton.

It is the next few weeks that will be the most crucial for the tree's health, Mr Dalton added. Guy wires will support the tree and provide added strength in case of high winds. An irrigation system will be installed to pump water from the pond to the tree during the first season, he said, and a compost tea will be poured on the soil around it to provide extra nutrients while the tree acclimates to its new home.

While the tree itself came at no cost to the committee, the costs of moving, planting, and caring for the new tree will run into the thousands of dollars, said Christmas Tree Committee member Janet Woycik. The committee was honored to become the recipient of a gift of $5,000 from The Joseph Patrick Foundation earlier this summer. The donation from Newtown residents Sean and Barbara Patrick, and their children, Colin, Ryan, and Madeline, will go a long way in providing for the costs associated with the tree, said Ms Woycik last summer. In addition to the moving costs, and new lights to replace those destroyed when the original tree fell last March, extensive new electrical work and the hydration system that will ensure the tree's survival are necessary.

Several thousand more dollars will be needed to complete the work. The committee is hopeful that town residents will once again show their generosity and support this cause. Donations may be sent to Newtown Savings Bank, The Christmas Tree Fund, 39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470. For additional information, contact Janet Woycik at 426-4533.

Mrs Torrence said, weather permitting, she hoped that she and her husband might make it back to Newtown for the December 5 tree lighting. "We're happy to see it here," she said.