London's main Christmas Tree has arrived – and it has not gone down well with the general public.
Every year, as is tradition, London is gifted a giant spruce from Norway which is then placed in Trafalgar Square as the centrepiece of the UK's capital city's festivities.
But in recent years, the trees have been less than desirable – and this year appears to be no exception.
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This year's tree, which is the75th to be sent to the UK from Norway, stands at 68ft (21m) tall and will be decorated in time for a special ceremony on Thursday night.
The trees are given as a thanks for how Britain supported Norway during the Second World War.
It was first given by King Haakon VII after he was forced to flee Norway when Nazi Germany invaded the country.
The tree is felled in Oslo in a ceremony attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the British ambassador to Norway and the Mayor of Oslo. It is then shipped to London by sea and decorated in Trafalgar Square in traditional Norwegian fashion.
But regardless of the meaning behind it, the tree this year has been ridiculed.
Having been erected earlier today (November 28, it appears that half of it has been lost in transport, as seen in images snapped and posted on Twitter by Dan Barker.
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Blogger Matt Buckland wrote: “…when does the rest of it arrive?”
And another wrote: “Well I think this is an appropriate metaphor for the way things are going in the UK.”
Crudely, writer Mollie Goodfellow compared it to something only around half of the UK's population will know about.
She wrote: “This is like the bit on the end of that stick they use for a smear test.”
Several people also compared it to a “twig”.
The 2021 version of the free tree was equally as bad, as some claimed it looked as if it was “flea ridden”, while the 2019 one was called “anaemic” and “thin”.
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Norway actually hit back at Brits for the insults towards the tree last year.
The then-mayor, Marianne Borgen, said: “"I am pleased that people are passionate – it is a sign that Londoners care about the present we have sent them.
"The tree comes from a forest. This is a love tree and it means a lot to us to give it to Londoners.
"Though it started as a thank you to the British people for their help during World War Two, it is now as much about friendship, solidarity, hope for the future and peace.
"The tree symbolises all this and I hope that when the lights are turned on, the symbolic message behind the gift is what people have in mind."
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