Rockefeller Center’s Sad 2020 Christmas Tree Inspired Everyone To Make The Same ‘Charlie Brown’ Joke

Perhaps you’ve noticed, but 2020 has been a year. It’s been such a year that the only good thing that’s happened to humanity — Joe Biden winning the presidential election — is tainted by the fact that outgoing commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump refuses to concede, wasting everyone’s time with frivolous lawsuits over non-existent voter fraud. As a sign that everything has gone wrong, even the one of America’s most iconic Christmas tree kind of looks like butt this year.

On Tuesday, Rockefeller Center began installing their annual Norway spruce, which, for most years since 1931, has stood around 78 feet tall, looming over the famous Prometheus statue (and itself being dwarfed by the towering 30 Rock building). It’s a destination tradition for tourists and locals alike. Only problem: As the tree was being unloaded, it looked sad. To be exact, it looked 2020 sad — the kind of rank disappointment many of us have gotten depressingly used to during one of the most inventively awful and tragic years on record.

With its sparse and weak-looking branches, the Rock tree reminded a lot of people over social media about the same seasonal cultural artifact: the sad tree Charlie Brown nabs in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Of course, in the classic special, the tree’s crappiness reminds everyone to be grateful for what they got, and to remember to look out for those in need of some TLC. In real life, in the year 2020, a lamentable spruce only underscores that we’re trapped in hell — until, possibly, January 20.

In any case, a lot of people agreed that we’re all Charlie Brown now.

Although maybe it’ll look better once it has some lights! And a billion decorations to obscure its paltry branches! Then again, 2020 is not exactly a year for optimism. Good grief, indeed.