Hultsfred municipality erects its plastic Christmas tree for the third year in a row, despite past mockery in media. This year, it is extended and made taller than ever. The municipal official welcomes the easy handling compared to real trees.
Hultsfred municipality replaced the real Christmas tree on the square with an artificial one three years ago, leading to mockery in national radio and social media. Despite the reactions, the tradition continues, and this year the tree is extended by another meter to become taller than ever.
Martin Edén, who leads the setup for the municipality, explains: "An artificial tree can just be built upon." The first year saw many reactions, but it has been calm since, according to him. Unlike other municipalities struggling to find suitable trees amid declining production forests, Hultsfred avoids the stress—they simply retrieve the plastic tree from storage.
The plastic tree debuted in 2022 and was extended with one section last year. It has cost a total of 185,000 kronor. Edén comments on whether other municipalities should follow: "It depends on how easy it is to find a tree, really. It's getting harder and harder to find nice square trees. It's mostly production forest now."
An SVT reporter experienced the challenges firsthand, struggling to navigate out of the large structure, as captured in a clip. Local opinions vary, but the tree has become part of Hultsfred's Christmas tradition.