New Holiday Tree
Published on November 17, 2025
Tree Planting Brings Renewed Joy This Winter Season In Aurora
A young blue spruce will replace the previous pine in downtown Aurora, recently removed due to decay
The new-to-downtown spruce tree will come from Deerpath Nursery in DeKalb. It will replace the 57-foot-tall tree that has, in recent years, grown synonymous with the City of Aurora's annual Winter Lights celebration in December. Yet there are high hopes the younger tree will take to the soil and grow year after year, says Cathy Hayen, Horticulturist for the City of Aurora.
“We removed the G.A.R. tree because it had suddenly declined in health...it was stressed beyond what it could recover from. This year it declined very quickly, and it was pretty near dead,” Hayen said.
Concrete from past City construction projects sat atop the soil of the previous tree, raising the pH of the soil and creating a stressful environment for the previous pine. By replacing the soil during the new spruce planting, Hayen said there is much more optimism for the new tree growing up to a foot each year and thriving.
The planting of the 15-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce, which will receive special root treatment, ushers in a new era for those who look forward to gathering around the tree during City parades and celebrations.
“I’m excited to watch a tree grow from a young stage and mature under ideal conditions. We’re going to take extra, extra good care to not expose it to the same stress that had happened to [the previous] tree. The old tree was 60 years old. That’s a good life span for that species of tree,” Hayen said.
This outlook means families and community members attending annual festivities downtown will bear witness to the growth of the City’s new celebration tree year after year. With steps taken to ensure the life cycle of the new spruce can be as ideal as possible, Hayen pointed out that a younger, smaller tree is just what the City needs to ensure longevity for the timber spectacle.
“The bigger the tree, the harder it is to acclimate to its new site. We were very diligent [with the previous tree] about preventative care, as far as insects and diseases. We fertilize on a regular schedule. We took very good care of that tree—probably better than any other plant downtown,” Hayen said.
Those with an eye for sustainability and nostalgia will be pleased to know the 60-year-old pine that previously stood downtown will live on. Through partnerships with A Call to Shoulders and Foreign Exchange Brewery in Aurora, chips from the previous tree will be repurposed.
A Call to Shoulders, an Aurora-based business dedicated to equipping veterans with a new craft to make a living post-service, will turn the remains of the old pine into ornaments for Aurora’s Christkindlmarket. Foreign Exchange Brewery, one of the latest additions to the downtown business district, will pay tribute by aging one of their Historical Aurora Beers on wood from the previous celebration tree.
“By mindfully removing the tree and repurposing its wood, the community upholds a sustainable commitment,” City of Aurora Sustainability Coordinator, Jazmine Garcia, said.
The new tree planting will take place ahead of the City's annual Veterans Day Parade on Tuesday, November 11 and the annual Winter Lights Festival on Friday, November 21.
Current and former Aurora residents shared their timber memories with the previous tree on the City’s official social media page earlier this month, sharing photos of City celebrations past wherein the former pine tree loomed large.
“It’s a beautiful tree. I’ll be retiring next year, so this [tree] will be my legacy. I can come back to Aurora and watch that tree and know that I was a part of that,” Hayen said.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sam Loveland, , 331-317-0317
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY CONTACT: Allison Lindburg, , 630-450-7789