Londoners slam 66ft Christmas Tree as ”national disgrace’ and ‘half-dead’

Trafalgar Square’s ‘iconic’ Christmas tree has been called a ‘national disgrace’ by Londoners after the fern, which has travelled thousands of miles from Norway, was unveiled in the capital today.

The 66ft tree, which is an annual gift from Norway to London, has been described as having ‘dead branches’ and being ‘spindly’.

The erection of the tree is part of an almost eight-decade long tradition between the two countries following the Second World War, as a marker of respect to recognise the UK’s assistance to Norway.

The tree’s official social media account slammed critics online, penning: ‘Guess who’s back? Now, before the haters start commenting on my branches, I’ve had 10 days of beauty sleep.

‘Who wouldn’t look a bit flat after that kind of travel? But don’t fret; it’ll fluff up and shine just in time for my big moment.’

People were quick to shut down the festive cheer, with Gillian Flavell piping up: ‘Going to take a lot of fluffing to hide all those dead branches. Just saying.’

‘It’s here. Well half of it anyway,’ another commented.

The tree will be officially unveiled on Thursday, when the lights and decorations are also added.

Some were quick to rush to the fir’s defence, with one man sharing a sweet family anecdote of the tree’s history, ‘My Norwegian grandfather captained the ship that brought over the first Christmas tree.

‘Then a present from the people of Oslo. When I was a kid I sung in the Norwegian Seamans Church choir next to the tree every year.’

The public’s underwhelming response to the historic tree’s unveiling has become something of a tradition, with people last year suggesting that it needed to be transported better to make sure it arrived in a better state, The Sun reports.

‘Judging by the photos of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree being felled last week in Norway and arriving today, it’s been transported as hand luggage on Ryanair,’ one person said.

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