Expensive Holiday Spirit: Christmas Tree in Inner Harbour Brings Joy with 4000-euro Price Tag
Bah Humbug*, Harburg's supposed Christmas cheer isn't exactly rousing spectacle, owing to the measly holiday tree gracing the canal square. This pitiful pine costs a whopping 4,000 euros, leaving residents bewildered and characters like Scrooge shaking their heads at the supposed waste.
The city management, armed with RISE funds, has spearheaded the project, with half the bill footed by the RISE neighborhood council inner harbor working group, which approved the move with an overpowering majority of 14 yes votes, two abstentions, and zero naysayers.
"For a stinkin' tree?", a local scoffed on our website. But the city management argues this isn't just a simple tree; it's a logistical nightmare due to the hefty hidden costs. Here's the rundown: delivery, professional disposal, a special power connection via a distribution box, the cable laid to the tree, electricity, insurance, and the unskippable expense of securing that darn tree, which dangerously towers in a flimsy base in the soggy canal square.
In Harburg's blustery canal square, the wind could turn your rosy cheeks blue, which might explain why the bureaucrats initially planned a six to seven-meter spectacle, requiring substantial action from the boys in blue, including barriers, to ensure a safe delivery. Guess what? The tree wound up a mere three and a half meters, leaving everyone a touch disappointed.
Crowning the tree, kids from the cultural workshop, over the weekend, added a dash of color with hand-painted wooden discs, transforming it into a miniature Jackson Pollock. Other holiday light festivities, like installing lights on the street lamps, as in the Harburg city center, were nixed, as the ancient lamps are too senile for this kind of pep rally.
To break it down, these trees ain't cheap. Starting with the tree itself, you can spend anywhere from $500 to $5,000, while decorations could add another $100 to $5,000. Delivery would set you back $100 to $500, while disposal, an undesired cost, could run anywhere from $50 to $200. Installing a special power connection and cable laying can cost $500 to $2,000, with cable laying for security and aesthetics adding another $200 to $1,000. Electricity might cost $50 to $200 per month, while insurance premiums likely hover around $100 to $1,000. Security, again, ain't cheap, ringing in at $500 to $2,000 per month.
All told, expect to dish out between $2,000 to $10,000 for initial setup, with monthly costs totaling $600 to $3,200, and disposal costs adding an extra $50 to $200 to the end-of-season bill. Tis the season, indeed!
In light of the city's home-and-garden project, residents have voiced concerns about the high cost of the 4,000 euro Christmas tree in the canal square, considering it an other lifestyle expense that might better be spent elsewhere. Despite the controversy, the city management argues that the other holiday light festivities, such as installing lights on street lamps, were nixed due to budget constraints and the antiquity of the facilities, making the tree and its associated expenses a significant aspect of the holiday season's aesthetic landscape.
