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Ugly Christmas Tree Will Be Replaced In Pennsylvania Town

The people of Reading, Pa., didn't have the same compassion that Charlie Brown had.

A 50-foot spruce tree — called "nasty," "pathetic" and "ugly" — will be replaced with a prettier pine.

As the AP reports, the tree was put up by the city in a public space and the complaints started immediately. The tree was missing tons of branches and it had unseemly shape.

The AP explains:

"Now a group led by the city council president is raising money to buy and decorate a more impressive replacement. The current tree is topped with a lighted pretzel, a nod to the area's many bakeries.

"The puny pine was a last-minute stand-in taken from a city park. The city had planned to get its tree from a farm, but the owner wouldn't let the crews drive on the wet ground when they went to pick it up.

"Officials are hoping to have a do-over tree lighting ceremony next weekend."

One resident told WFMZ-TV that not even a squirrel looking for a home would pick that tree.

We'll leave you with WFMZ-TV's report:

And a lesson from Charlie Brown:

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.