BEIRUT — Can ugly Christmas trees get the same kind of love as ugly Christmas sweaters? The people of Lebanon don’t seem to think so.
Recently spotted at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport was an industrial-esque looking tree made of garbage and recycled airplane parts. It was commissioned by Middle East Airlines to highlight the need for environmental protection and recycling.
LEBANESE OFFICIALS !!! WHAT ARE U DOING ???? WHAT IS WRONG WITH U ??? WE ARE THE ARTISTS OF THE WORLD & THE INNOVATORS OF THE WORLD … IS THIS HOW YOU INTERPRET CHRISTMAS ??? THAT THING IS DISPLAYED AT THE GATES OF OUR COUNTRY ???? WLE SHOU BEKONE WLE #Lebanon #لبنان pic.twitter.com/XK2IkruIvs
— Nick (@NickTohme) December 5, 2017
Though technically not a Christmas tree, travellers were quick to claim it as such since the eyesore was erected during the height of the holidays. Not surprisingly, the “garbage tree” was trashed (ahem) on social media to the point where airport officials were forced to take it down and replace it with one more appealing to the eye.
Call us crazy but we kind of feel bad for the ugly tree.
The Christmas tree at Beirut international airport is epic. It's absolutely perfect for a country still drowning in a waste crisis and constantly caught up in rubbish.
— Jasmina Najjar (@JasminaNajjar) December 5, 2017
If only Lebanese people are shocked by the smell of garbage that greets us in #Beirut as soon as our plane lands as they are by a non-traditional Christmas tree in the airport… #Lebanon https://t.co/ZF7zM6nans
— Halim Shebaya حليم شبيعة (@halimshebaya) December 5, 2017
