Twig the Elf finds a home in Nova Scotia’s balsam fir Christmas tree capital

A community trail lined with Christmas trees on the South Shore has a live-in caretaker hidden among the balsam firs.

Twig the Elf has found a home along Ruby’s Trail on Forties Road in New Ross.

The character was created by the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia, an umbrella group representing growers across the province, first appearing in a cartoon video in 2021.

The story is that Twig was selected by Santa Claus to maintain the magic of balsam fir trees in the province.

Judy O’Leary, chair of the New Ross Christmas Festival committee, said the plan this year was to incorporate Twig into the 30th annual event.

The community is located in Lunenburg County, which bills itself as the balsam fir Christmas tree capital of the world.

“The Christmas Tree Council was 100 per cent supportive and gave us copyright to use Twig and his name and likeness,” she said.

Twig was made into a three-foot-tall stuffed elf with blue eyes by a faculty member with the costume studies program at Dalhousie University in time for this year’s festivities, O’Leary said.

Twig’s chalet 

Wanda Gates-Murphy and her husband, Marty, were happy to have a home for Twig on their property. She also helped build the elf-sized chalet, which the public can visit using the trail behind the local Royal Canadian Legion.

“Once I saw the cartoon of Twig, and it hit my heart, and I wanted to make this as close to what it was as possible,” she said. 

Inside the chalet there is a bookshelf and a fireplace with Twig’s awards on the mantle. There is also an elf-sized rocking chair, a Christmas tree and a pair of skis.

Gates-Murphy hopes Twig’s presence on Ruby’s Trail can spark joy. She said the path through the family Christmas tree lot and a lookout with a view of New Ross was created in memory of her late grandchild Ruby Webber. 

“I had to do something with my pain and make something positive out of it,” she said.

“It’s our way of giving back,” said Gates-Murphy who highlighted the support the family received from the community during Ruby’s sickness.

The past seven years have been difficult, she said, particularly after losing a second grandchild.

Ruby was eight months old when she succumbed to a very rare genetic disorder, and her younger sister died within hours of birth.

“I do have a grandson now, and he gets to see what his nanny is doing now,” Gates-Murphy said. “He’s going to get to enjoy this when he gets a little older.”

Altogether, O’Leary estimates Twig and his home cost between $1,200 to $1,500, which was paid for by the New Ross Regional Development Association. She said many people and businesses in the community supported the initiative through donations, or by donating their time or materials.