Cities Celebrate Charlie Brown Christmases Across America
Smaller budgets are forcing cities to downsize their Christmas spending.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25, 2009— -- Thanks to the recession, cities across the United States from California to South Carolina have scaled back their Christmas celebration spending, and in some cases, it shows.
Concord, California's Christmas tree garnered national attention for its puniness, after the city decided to decorate a living evergreen tree in its city plaza instead of paying $28,000 to install a cut tree.
The thin, crooked tree stands about 30 feet tall. Its needles have either turned brown or fallen off. Its branches are so thin, the giant red and white bulbs that adorn them look nearly suspended in midair.
City officials say they had to cut Concord's budget, as well as lay off employees, so it would not have been appropriate to spend on a freshly-cut tree. So they chose one already living in Todos Santos Park.
"We had to cut $8 million out of our budget and had to lay people off, so we had to figure out a way to share the spirit of the season while still cutting expenses," Mayor Guy Bjerke told The Associated Press.
"The choice was to use a living tree or not have a tree this year. The tree is a long-standing annual tradition since 1923, so the city felt it was important to the community to continue the tradition," City Assistant Manager Valerie Barone said in an e-mail to ABC News.
Barone said the tree was also part of the city's "Green Initiative." Last year the city changed the lights on the tree from traditional lights to LED lights to save energy.
City officials decided to call it a "Charlie Brown tree," after the cartoon Christmas special where the Peanuts character picks out a puny tree, which ended up highlighting the significance of Christmas rather than the appearance of the tree.
"Someone mentioned that the tree looked like the tree from the Charlie Brown holiday TV special. In keeping with this theme, the city is asking residents to remember the spirit of the season -- that it's not how you look on the outside that's important but how big your spirit is on the inside. The tree reminds us that it's a time for the community, family and friends to gather and enjoy the spirit of the season, be thankful for what we have and consider spreading a little cheer to the less fortunate," according to a statement from the city.
