Why New Bedford Man Keeps His Christmas Tree Upside Down

People who have driven past Wood Street in New Bedford have probably noticed an upside down Christmas tree on one porch. So why is it that way? We now have an answer.

JR from our sister station Fun 107 decided to get to the bottom of this. So early on Wednesday morning, he went over to Wood Street and knocked on the door. He was about to get his answer.

Robert Wilkinson, who is now 79, started a tradition in 1991 that began because of hard times. Chamberlain Manufacturing, where Wilkinson had worked for 31 years, was closing down. What was he going to do? No income, and no insurance. His world was upside down. At that time, crime was also on the rise. Good people out of work, ansd criminals running rampant. So he decided to hang his tree upside down, as a sign of the times.

The tree began inside his home, but the outside tree is a tradition and not just to Robert and his family, but to the city of New Bedford as well.

[Fun 107]