The Clermont City Council hopes to renew a tradition by having a 16-foot-tall Norwegian spruce planted Tuesday in Clermont Park.

The tree will serve as the town’s Christmas tree for years to come, Councilman Albert Reeves said.

"We used to have a city Christmas tree, and we’re not really sure why it was cut down," Reeves said. "When I was elected, I wanted one back."

Reeves remembers the old town tree as a child and believes it was cut down and donated to a hospital years ago.

Clermont residents are very supportive of the idea, Reeves said, and many have even given donations to help cover the cost of moving the large tree.

"It’s a community Christmas tree," Reeves said.

The tree came from Kinsey Family Farm on Jot Em Down Road.

When Reeves found the tree, it was going to be cut down. He said the farm was expanding, and the large tree was in the way.

When Reeves offered to uproot the tree and move it to Clermont, the Kinsey family thought it was a great idea.

"It was my grandmother’s," said Kelly Kinsey of the Kinsey Family Farm. "It’s really special to my father and mother as well that it’s going somewhere special."

The tree was planted by Kinsey’s grandmother when she moved to the property in the 1980s.

"The tree’s about 27 years old," Kinsey said.

Reeves said the town will light the tree during a Christmas parade in Clermont.

"Dec. 13 is the first-ever Christmas parade in Clermont," said City Clerk Sandra Helton.

The parade will take place at 1 p.m. Dec. 13, and the tree will be lit at dark, after the parade. "We’re really excited, I think it will bring some closeness in the community," Helton said.

As for the tree, Kinsey said he is glad to see it get a fresh start. "(The tree) has a new home, another chapter in its life," Kinsey said.