A few videos and photos of the partly-constructed Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center has been circling the internet, and Twitter users were quick to compare it to the scrawny and barren Christmas tree from the iconic Charlie Brown's holiday special. The assembly of the Christmas tree in New York's Rockefeller Center is an important cultural event that signals the beginning of the holiday season in the big city. Its monumental size and cheery decor make it a picturesque tourist attraction – if you are willing to brave the crowds.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is another cultural touchstone that has withstood the test of time for Americans who celebrate Christmas. This special and other Charlie Brown holiday episodes like it are so vital, in fact, that there was an uproar when the Halloween special was taken off of broadcast television. Whether it's pure nostalgia or genuine enjoyment of the story, many families return to watch the special every year.
It seems that this year, people are not in the holiday spirit as they quickly react to the naked Rockefeller tree before giving it the chance to impress. People caught photos and videos of the tree before it reached its full glory, and they have been quick compare it to Charlie Brown's naked tree and call it representative of the year 2020. You can see a few of these tweets below:
It is not unusual for the Rockefeller tree to spend a few moments completely barren. The Christmas tree can be such a magical sight to behold, people sometimes forget that it does not just appear. Someone brings in the tree and then people have to set it up and add decorations, all of which does not happen instantaneously.
It is probably safe to assume that people meant for this comparison to be joking and lighthearted, but the reference to Charlie Brown does sort of miss the mark. In what is perhaps the most memorable scene from the Christmas special, Charlie finds a skinny, underwhelming tree shorter than him and says, "This little green one here seems to need a home." Even if the tree is bare and broken, Charlie finds the beauty in it and chooses it for their Christmas tree. In doing so, he recognizes that the holidays are not about appearances or grandeur, but for expressing kindness and gratitude towards his surroundings.
People's expectation to see a fully decorated tree – and nothing less – in Rockefeller center points to the commercialization of the holidays and strays further from the message of the Charlie Brown classic. This past year has certainly given people reasons to be pessimistic, but decorations and extravagance are not the only way to celebrate Christmas. The Charlie Brown special was made to remind people that there is a deeper meaning to Christmas, such as gratefulness and family time. And for those who can't see their family, there are still other ways to feel close to each other, like video chatting or Netflix Partying a Christmas movie together.
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