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Charlie Brown would be proud.
In the quiet mountain town of Creston, British Columbia, tree stumps considered by some to be an eyesore are decorated for the holiday season, an initiative started by an anonymous source and completed by the town of Creston.
Each of the 10 tree stumps is decorated with lights, some multi-colored, some white, and some even have their own red Santa hats.
“I wouldn't say they look good, but I mean they look festive,” Creston communications director Brandi Dyer told CBC. Dawn South. “Maybe if you were a dwarf you'd think they were cute.”
Dyer said it all started when a cold snap a few winters ago killed trees and other crops and gardens in the area.
“We heard some outrage on Facebook over the summer after these trees were cut down,” Dyer said.
People wondered why the city government was cutting down dead trees, laughed, and named the public works departments.
But according to Dyer, the stumps could not be removed for financial reasons.
“It’s much cheaper to leave the stumps and dig them up at the same time as replanting,” she said. “Regardless of what people might think – that we're wasting money – we don't, we're trying to stay within budget. That's why we scheduled the planting for next summer. That's why we still have these tree stumps downtown.”
Of course, there was continued outrage on social media about the ugly stumps left behind.
Then something magical happened. One day, city employees were downtown when they noticed several tree stumps were decorated with lights. They still don't know who it was, Dyer said.
This inspired some of the employees to come out and straighten the remaining stumps.
“When life gives you stumps, you put lights on them and call it holiday,” Dyer told CBC News.
When people continued to complain, Dyer took to the city's Facebook page to explain the situation.
After the post went viral in the community, Dyer said someone came out and attached Santa hats to some tree stumps.
It won't be a permanent effort because the stumps are scheduled to be removed in 2026, Dyer noted. But if tree stumps do appear in the city next year, she said it will be hard to resist the example.
“Honestly, if there were tree stumps next year, we would probably decorate them again,” she said. “But no, we plan to replace the trees in the spring, and then everyone can be happy again.”
But for now, she says it's bringing a little holiday cheer to those who need it most.
And as Linus said in A Charlie Brown Christmasthat's what Christmas is all about.
