In New York City’s Central Park, pets are remembered with a secret Christmas tree

NEW YORK – Hidden in a corner of Central Park, there lives a tree that if you walk by at just the right time of the year will share with you its secret identity as the Pet Memorial Christmas Tree.

The tree glitters with hundreds of photos, notes, ornaments and memorials to deceased pets.

There’s Milo, commemorated 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 amusing” Central Park squirrel.

Decorated every year by the Keeper of the Tree and volunteers, the tree is an expression of love on display between Thanksgiving and Three Kings Day in January.

Then, the keeper saves each memento, to be put up again the next holiday season.

Dozens of new keepsakes for the tree arrived on Dec 16, as a group led by the Central Park New York City chapter of Ever Walk, a walking initiative in the United States and abroad, hiked through the Ramble to the undisclosed location.

In the crowd, Ms Kendra Oleckna, her husband, Mr Robert Foote, and their one-year-old pomeranian, Stansha Rebotska, prepared to hang a memorial to their beloved Jazz, another pomeranian who died a year ago.

Described as a spunky, handsome boy, Jazz was the couple’s best friend and caretaker who loved Mexican restaurants, she said.

In November, Mr Larry Closs, a writer and photographer, posted an article detailing the history of the tree, tracing it back to the 1980s, when casting director Jason Reddock, who had been walking his dog in 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, who noticed it, too. The two began a tradition of returning to the tree and bringing ornaments and mementoes of their own.

“Since the tree was an evergreen, and since Christmas was only weeks away, the pair decided it was a Christmas tree and thus the Pet Memorial Christmas Tree was born,” Mr Closs wrote.

“It’s always extremely moving and extremely touching when somebody comes and they have, I call them, remembrances, mementoes,” he said.

“You watch them put it up on the tree, you know, and tears inevitably follow. And it’s hard not to get choked up in those circumstances.”

Ms Marianne Larsen, the tree’s current keeper, 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” leading to a recent deluge of photos.

“In 2020, we added 200 photos,” she said.

“In ’21, it was another 200, and ’22 is another 200. So now we’re over 600, and I think after today, we might be up to at least 750.”

The tree’s location was kept a secret for decades, and it remains largely unknown. It has to be found by chance, or someone has to know where to look.

Standing at the tree with her dog, Ulla, on Dec 16, Ms Larsen said part of the joy is in discovering the tree. “You’ll walk by and go, ‘What’s that?’” she said.

“And if they take a moment to go in, they’ll see that it’s a memorial tree because some people think it’s just a celebratory Christmas tree, but it’s not.”

Ms Larsen said that even people who have moved from New York stop by during the holidays to visit memorials they have left.

Ms Kelli Lipson, her fiance, Mr Jorn Santegoeds, and their dog, Jakes, a seven-year-old boston terrier mix, walked up to the tree with a photo in hand.

Pictured was Nando, the couple’s five-year-old French bulldog that died from a brain tumour in August.

Ms Lipson said Nando changed not just their lives but those of other dogs, as his short life had inspired them to begin fostering pets.

“I will never buy another dog again,” she said.

“He did a lot of good for the world, so we want to commemorate him.” NYTIMES