---
title: "Massachusetts Police Stop Mazda With Massive Christmas Tree On Its Roof"
description: "No word on whether Clark Griswold was driving."
date: "2017-11-27"
modified: "2017-11-28"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/16437/massachusetts-police-stop-mazda-with-massive-christmas-tree-on-its-roof"
categories:
  - "Mazda News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Christmas Tree"
  - "Massachusetts"
  - "mazda"
  - "police"
  - "safety"
---

# Massachusetts Police Stop Mazda With Massive Christmas Tree On Its Roof

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/11/23844855_505372796485701_5308299062637423575_n.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Ah, the holidays. A time of peace, togetherness, understanding—and above all, making really bad decisions like strapping a Rockefeller Center-sized [Christmas tree](<https://www.thedrive.com/porsche/6547/leh-keen-delivers-your-christmas-tree-atop-a-safari-911>) to the roof of the family car and heading out on the road.

Police in Sudbury, Massachusetts stopped this [Mazda5](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/598/the-12-best-zipcar-models-in-the-nation-ranked>) after somehow spotting it underneath the needles and branches of what looks like a fully mature douglas fir on Friday, the day when a lot of families first head out to get their tree for the season. The angle of the photo makes it hard to judge just how big it really is, but given how it dwarfs the 15-foot-long minivan, it appears no one told the driver that Christmas trees always look bigger indoors.

The [Facebook post](<https://www.facebook.com/SudburyMAPolice/photos/a.281718282184488.1073741829.265388067150843/505372796485701/?type=3&theater>) states that the department wants to remind everyone to haul your trees "responsibly" this holiday season, and it doesn't say whether the driver was cited. We sympathize with the plight of [hauling an oversize load with a small vehicle,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/14355/florida-men-caught-hauling-stolen-power-pole-in-a-kia-after-hurricane-irma>) but the diminutive Mazda5 really isn't the right choice for some logging truck cosplay.

It's a funny sight, no doubt—[insert obligatory *Christmas Vacation* reference here](<https://youtu.be/g7T4TyOWR8U?t=1m16s>)—but every year, improperly secured trees come flying off the roofs of cars and cause at least a few crashes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, [according to the AAA.](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/16427/picking-out-a-christmas-tree-is-fun-getting-it-home-can-be-dangerous>) To make it home without your holiday centerpiece turning into dangerous road debris, the association recommends using strong, quality rope, an appropriate vehicle, a light touch on the gas pedal, and lastly, some common sense.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)