A giant Christmas tree in Montreal is being compared to an “ugly Christmas sweater” -- so unattractive it’s actually charming.
The 26-metre balsam fir is not only scraggly and lopsided, but it’s decorated with mini red Canadian Tire logos that only add to the tackiness.
The tree was meant to be a publicity stunt, but not like this. The goal was to beat the famous New York City tree at Rockefeller Center for the highest tree, making beauty a secondary consideration.
But the tree, located at Place des Arts, didn’t even manage to beat the New York tree, which is usually around 22 metres high but topped out at 28 metres this year.
One woman who came down to see the tree said it’s even uglier than it looks in the photos shared on social media.
“When I say worse, I actually mean better because I want it to be as ugly as possible,” she added. “I'm one of those people who loves tacky Christmas sweaters.”
The tree even has its own Twitter account: @sapinlaid, which translates to “ugly fir.” Tweets say things like: “I'm proof that Montreal is a tolerant city.”
Philippe Pelletier, who works for the company that cut down the tree, said such tall trees are very hard to find. “We found it very nice,” he added.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Annie DeMelt
