Pa. city ditches Charlie Brown theme for traditional tannenbaum

A year after its scraggly “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree caused an uproar, a Pennsylvania city is putting up a more traditional tannenbaum this holiday season.

Reading’s official Christmas tree will be a pleasingly plump, 25-foot-tall white fir. The Reading Eagle reports that crews cut it down Monday.

Last year’s tree was a sad-looking Norway spruce that drew immediate comparisons to the sparse sapling in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Some demanded a replacement, but instead, Reading wrapped a blue blanket around its base and adorned it with a single red ball to match the puny pine in the beloved TV special.

This year, city officials say they wanted to put their best foot forward with an eye-pleasing Christmas tree. A tree-lighting ceremony will be held later this month.