The Ugly Christmas Tree Village has returned to celebrate imperfection. Last year, an 85-foot Christmas tree (26-metres) was erected in Montreal, Canada to rival New York’s Rockafeller Tree, but it fell a bit short.
In fact, many likened it to Charlie Brown’s sad little Christmas tree. As result, the tree received lots of media attention – usually as the butt of Christmas tree jokes. Although it was dubbed the biggest Christmas tree in Canada, it was, admittedly, a sad-looking specimen.
Last year’s ugly Christmas tree was dubbed “sad”.
As result, the lopsided, thin tree received lots of media attention – usually as the butt of Christmas tree jokes.
Leave it to Montreal to install a tree so ugly it makes international news. 😒
— Marco Sav (@MarcoSav93) December 8, 2016
One sad tree in Montreal 😞🎄 pic.twitter.com/jYu1d0qTXo
— Brad Yule (@BradYule) December 8, 2016
But that didn’t deter Philippe Pelletier, cofounder of the ugly tree village (Village du Vilain Sapin), from doing it again this year.
“It’s an initiative we undertook…and we never thought a huge international controversy would have revolved around the aestheticism of a tree,” he told CBC News. But Pelletier and his crew took it in stride and defended the tree as what a big, natural Christmas tree from Quebec looks like.
Others on Twitter sided with Pelletier.
Montreal has its own Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I think it’s awesome. @UglyTreeMTL
— Johnnycanuck (@johnmerrithew) December 17, 2016
#Montreal must embrace its awful #ChristmasTree. Turn the fail into a win. “Come see the exact opposite of the #NewYork Rockafeller Tree!”
— Tim Parent (@timparent) December 7, 2016
This year’s tree isn’t as big or nearly as sad-looking as last year’s, but it has its own unique appearance.
In fact, this year’s tree looks more like something out of Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, with it’s bendy top, tilting over.
It’s the center-piece to a holiday village that’s all a little bit off-kilter. The village will have unfinished food stands and a tree market sign that looks just a little imperfect.
“It could become a Montreal tradition — instead of having a magnificent, perfect tree every year, you have one that’s authentic, crooked, a little bizarre with personality that could be super original and a mark of distinction for Montreal,” said Pelletier.
And why not? If Charlie Brown can love his little sad Christmas tree, then Montrealers can fall in love with their imperfect ones too.
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