Featured image: The Christmas tree in Boston Common, with the State House glowing in the background (photo by Cheryl Landes)

In 1912, several cities had public Christmas trees, and apparently there was a race to be the first to light theirs. New York City and Boston are fierce rivals in sports, and it appears they also are in holiday cheer. Turns out that Boston came out on top of the lighting competition by turning on the lights on its public tree a half hour before New York City, according to this article in the Boston Globe.