Traditionally, Christmas is the time to share your goodwill and put the happiness of others before your own—every festive song and tale tells us so! But did you know that the citizens of Boston, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia actually took it a step further and stuck to these brilliant principles of kindness?

The Twitter account for Canadian forces in the US shared a heartbreaking story of compassion and loyalty, something we all could use. As it happens, our Christmas is facing its own unique challenges and to have a guiding light, based on true values, might be beneficial; and clearly, more than 40K people agree!

The Canadian Forces shared a story on Twitter that tells a tale of a tradition it honors annually

Image credits: CAFinUS

During WWI, two ships collided off the coast of Halifax Harbor in one of the greatest disasters in Canadian history

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

A brave train dispatcher Vince Coleman jumped into action to help with the catastrophe

Image credits: CAFinUS

Here’s a reenactment detailing Vince Coleman’s involvement in providing aid during the catastrophe

Image credits: Historica Canada

The Halifax explosion is considered to be one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

Assistance in this time of need was swift and Boston offered significant aid, deepening its relations with Nova Scotia

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

When the world was shaking from an ongoing World War, a fatal ship collision claimed hundreds of innocent lives, but the sense of unity prevailed, with large sums of money raised to provide relief efforts (imagine collecting almost $2 million in an hour because you want to help people you don’t know in an emergency that doesn’t impact you, all because you think it’s your duty as a human being—that’s the true spirit of charity!)

Halifax is considered to be one of the more prominent disasters in Canada. The collision of the two ships destroyed several parts of the city, leaving many dead or injured. Help was needed, but the winter snow made matters difficult. In this crucial time, the state of Massachusetts raised millions of dollars to provide humanitarian aid to Halifax. The united forces built temporary housing for those who were left homeless, the doctors and nurses worked at the newly constructed military hospital and while there were many people who are, in one way or another, affected by the disaster, the city began its recovery.

Massachusetts raised a total of $15 million for relief efforts and immediately dispatched healthcare professionals

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

“Chaos apparent; no order existed” – the wide reach of the disaster impacted both civilians and medics alike

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

With the help of U.S., temporary housing and a military hospital were constructed, ensuring Halifax’s recovery.

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

Hundreds of people were wounded, many of them children, and the survivors were left with physical and mental scars

Image credits: CAFinUS

Image credits: CAFinUS

Now, to express the gratitude and commemorate the help it received, each year Nova Scotia sends a Christmas tree to Boston

Image credits: CAFinUS

Despite its quite tragic premise, involving a war effort, unexpected disaster, and ruined Christmastime, overall it’s the stuff novels are created from. And to commemorate the unprecedented cooperation between the two cities (belonging to different countries too, mind you), a special Christmas tree travels a great distance each year to ensure their actions and sacrifices won’t be forgotten and to grant the citizens a chance to properly celebrate the holiday. This year, the tree was dedicated to healthcare workers—both the past professionals and the modern heroes who tirelessly work to make sure we have plenty more celebrations!

People online loved this story, saying that this is the kind of story they truly needed during today’s grim pandemic times. The thread garnered over 40,000 likes as well as thousands of retweets in under just a couple of days. And what are your thoughts about this very wholesome tradition? Let us know in the comment section below.

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