Hundreds of people gathered to watch the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Everyone shouts “Five, four, three, two, one!” I counted down. However, when the tree was lit, the scene fell into silence as if cold water had been poured on it.
On the 21st (local time), Canadian media such as CTV reported the Christmas tree lighting ceremony held in Orillia, Ontario on the evening of the 17th. In Orillia, a tree lighting ceremony is held every year at the end of the year at the spruce tree in front of the city’s opera house. It is an event that has been going on for over 40 years and attracts hundreds of residents.
According to videos shared on social media, many residents attended this year’s lighting ceremony. The atmosphere was excited until the countdown started, but the moment the tree was lit, a sigh of “Oh” came out. This was because it was too shabby to be called a Christmas tree as only the trunk, not the entire tree, was lit.
While the disappointed people became quiet, some burst into empty laughter. The sound of weak applause was heard and then disappeared. There was also the question, “Is this all?” Some residents who could not believe the situation even shouted for a countdown again.
The shabby tree lighting ceremony was caused by the aging of the tree. The trees that had been used so far had drooping branches and it was difficult to install lights. Instead of finding a new tree, the event organizers decided to light only the trunk of the original tree, resulting in a meaningless lighting ceremony.
Meanwhile, a video of the lighting ceremony shared on social media garnered attention as the ‘worst Christmas tree lighting ceremony’ and made Orillia residents even more upset. “I will ask the city council to bring in one more tree,” said one city councilor. “Other cities have huge trees, so there’s no reason we can’t have the same.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.