Elsie and Raymond Whitney next to what remains of the “magnificent specimen” of a blue spruce they donated to Church Street in Burlington for the holiday season. Photo by Liberty Darr/Other Paper This story by Liberty Darr was fist published in the Other Paper on Dec. 4, 2025. Raymond and Elsie Whitney take good care of the lawn outside of their South Burlington home. In the summer months, it is alive with a blossoming display of zinnias and in the winter months, steadily manicured until the first snowfall, but through it all, a giant 50-foot Colorado Blue Spruce has remained a key marker to the home built in 1986. But now, just a stump remains of what was once that “magnificent specimen.” The couple, after several years of being pleaded with, decided to donate their tree for display on Church Street in Burlington during the holiday season this year. But for the couple, the donation holds a much greater mission than just greeting Church Street goers with some holiday cheer. “Elsie has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,” Raymond said, looking at his wife sitting next to him in their kitchen. “It seemed like a good time, because we wanted to not only just light up Church Street, we wanted to shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease too.” The Whitney’s built their house and moved into it on Halloween night in 1986. As Raymond recalls, they were one of the first few settlers in the area that is now a sprawling development with several neighboring homes. Just a few days later that same year, Raymond made the trek up to South Hero to buy a sapling, which, in just under four decades, would grow into the giant that they came to love. At the time, though, it stood only about five feet tall, Raymond said, pointing to an old photo of their home with the tree out front. “Every single thing on this property, I put on it, every blade of grass, every plant and I plant this place stuffed with flowers,” Raymond said. And every year, for at least the past few, the couple has been greeted by the Church Street Marketplace crew, asking if they would be open to donating their tree for the lighting ceremony. But every year, Raymond would quip about the birds having paid their rent for the year. And in a sense, that sentiment is true. For the years that have followed, the tree has been home to birds and squirrels, which have been quite the pest for the couple in recent years. And as the couple has grown older, maintenance has become more and more tiresome, particularly in ensuring that their roof is free of nests. Plus, the neighbors don’t look too happily at a 79-year-old man high up on a ladder cleaning out his gutters, Raymond said, letting out a laugh. Coupled with Elsie’s recent diagnosis, the Whitneys decided now was the time to finally say ‘yes’ once the yearly ask came in. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s in 2020 was nearly seven million and that number is only set to double come 2060. With the help of the Alzheimer’s Association chapter in Vermont, the couple has launched a fundraiser with a goal of $1,500, where people can donate under Elsie’s name. Just days before the tree would make its home on Burlington’s most iconic street, a crowd of roughly 40 people gathered outside the Whitney’s home to send it off with some cheers and, of course, a champagne toast. “It was just a special thing to see everybody with family,” Raymond said. “All the neighbors were out here with their kids. And we toasted our tree and said, ‘See you on Church Street.’” But the celebrations weren’t just one-sided. The tree also put on a show for the crowd, doing a pirouette dance as it was lifted into the air, a gesture that the Whitney’s took personally. “It danced for us,” Raymond said, looking fondly at Elsie, who was looking, in the same way, back at him. Read the story on VTDigger here: South Burlington couple donate tree for Church Street holiday season. ...read more read less