Dear editor,
Really, Port McNeill?
Are we not the forestry capital of the province? I am truly horrified by this year's Christmas tree.
I have spoken to countless people around our town lately, and the overwhelming opinion is one of disbelief and outrage.
We have had a very cruel, twisted, Grinch-like joke played on us, the residents of Port McNeill.
I paid a visit to our own Mayor Furney to express my feelings and was informed that it was the Chamber of Commerce who puts up the tree every year. I then spoke with the Chamber of Commerce. I was told they were well aware of the shortcomings of the tree. It was apparently a combination of poor timing, poor judgement & overwhelmed volunteers.
Both Mayor Furney and the Chamber representative were receptive and sympathetic to my concern, but even after following up with a letter to both, nothing has been done to rectify this.
Understandably, it must well be a logistic nightmare to erect a spectacular tree year after year, but really?
Have you actually seen this travesty of a tree? It is quite the most shocking excuse of a Christmas tree. The structure of the conifer itself is atrocious, the stringing of the lights — vertically! — is laughable and the effect in total is pathetic.
I don't envy the poor folks responsible, as I'm sure they didn't deliberately set out to make a laughingstock of our town. But that is indeed what has happened.
Both Gerry Furney & the Chamber have replied with sincerity about this "tree-Gate", but the proof is in the Christmas pudding, so to say.
There has been plenty of time to attempt to fix this, but as yet no one has stepped up to the plate. If I had a chainsaw & knew how to fell a tree, I would have performed a mercy killing myself. As this is not within my scope, I rely on our Town to do the right thing. Having no tree at all is better than this.
We cannot begin to compare to other communities, such as Ladysmith, the Christmas capital of Vancouver Island. Surely, however, at least a decent tree should have be within the realm of possibility. A Christmas tree is a symbol is love, the spirit of the season and part of the community traditions that make this holiday so very special.
I am writing this letter to get public attention to this situation. I suppose at the end of the day, the solution lies within us all. Let's get out there and volunteer our services to our community. I did so to Mayor Furney, suggesting a group effort to at least salvage some semblance of a Christmas tree.
Merry Christmas to all & may we rise above this next year.
Joni-Rae Blanchard
Port McNeill