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It looks like an ode to the Heat Miser’s mane —and this Jersey Shore town’s boardwalk Christmas tree is drawing a lot of hot takes.
This new Christmas tree in the Grand Arcade at the Asbury Park Convention Hall is not the usual freshly cut variety — but a swirling sculpture that will be recycled after the 2021 holiday season comes to a close.
Locals are divided by the 17-foot cardboard concoction dubbed “The Giving Tree,” which was made by Jersey artists Bradley Hoffer and Mike Lavallee, who goes by the name Porkchop.
“It looks like an Amazon package,” Hoboken resident Anthony Solimando told the Associated Press.
That comparison makes sense to local Amy Mackey, who wants to send this version of the Yuletide staple packing.
“Not a fan,” said Mackey, adding, “Asbury has conformed into this artsy town, but tradition is tradition! This is art, and I wouldn’t take my child’s picture in front of this tree. Can’t we just have our traditional tree?”
Meanwhile, Wall, NJ, resident Zuzanna Humeniuk bemoaned the centerpiece’s lack of lights: “It’s creative, but not festive at all.”
However, Asbury Park resident Elizabeth Khimitch approves of “The Giving Tree,” saying the artistic display matches the offbeat ethos of the town made famous by Bruce Springsteen. “I think it’s very creative,” she said. “It fits the Asbury vibe, which is different and unusual.”
The shift from tradition came after the local art community approached the boardwalk owner, real estate firm Madison Marquette, about installing a Christmas tree sculpture.
“Because the boardwalk is a focal point for Asbury Park’s thriving arts and music community, and because we have a long-standing and very strong relationship with top-name local artists, when presented with the concept for the sculpture, we passionately embraced the idea,” said Madison Marquette’s Austin Leopold, the boardwalk’s property manager.
The boardwalk bosses tapped the local artists, noting there would be no fresh fir this year.
“I was asked to come in and do something festive-ish,” Porkchop said. “It wasn’t my intention to take away anyone’s Christmas tree. If you’re not going to give people the big tree they want, some of them are going to hate it. I understand that. But they weren’t going to get that traditional Christmas tree anyway.”
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