A family has shared their hilarious holiday tradition — picking out the “ugliest” Christmas tree they can find every year.
Mistry Ashbrook, 45, and her husband, Samuel, 43, a product sales specialist, started the unusual tradition in 2007.
Both fresh out of the military, with no children and their families far away, they weren’t feeling particularly festive, so they went searching for a Christmas tree to get into the spirit.
They stumbled upon their first “ugly” tree — a crooked, sad-looking sapling — and decided to take it home.
They then vowed to start an annual tradition of finding the least aesthetically pleasing tree each year.
Their idea became so popular among their family and friends that Samuel’s aunt and uncle even joined in.
Now the couples compete for the ugliest — trying to outdo each other with spindly and off-kilter trees every holiday season.
“We spent a lot of time looking for the perfect tree, and I just said, ‘Why don’t we just get an ugly one?’” said Misty, a 911 dispatcher, from Bremerton, Washington.
“I was getting really cold and tired,” she continued regarding their quest. “We were at a farm and we found a tree that was just a little crooked and sad looking, so we cut it down — and that’s kind of how it started.”
From that day on, they decided every year they would seek out trees that were just as “wonky.”
As the years went on, the tradition grew.
“Our families started asking for photos,” she said.
“Every year they would say, ‘Oh, I can’t wait for you to find the ugly Christmas tree,’ and we would send pictures.”
Samuel’s aunt and uncle — who lived an hour away — joined in, turning it into a family competition.
“They started a competition with us about who could find the ugliest tree, and so that’s just kind of how it started,” Misty said.
Misty’s mom, Roxanne Lonctom, 68, a retired nurse who lives with her, also enjoys the ugly Christmas tree tradition.
But it wasn’t until recently, when Misty posted a video of their latest ugly tree on TikTok, that the tradition truly exploded in popularity.
“The video has gotten almost 400,000 views now. It’s been crazy,” she said.
“Most people are like, ‘Oh, I’m so glad that you gave the ugly tree love. Ugly trees need love, too.’ “
Many also compared their tree to iconic holiday specials and TV shows.
“Some people say, ‘It looks like the Charlie Brown tree.’ Some people say, ‘Phoebe Buffay from “Friends” would be so happy.’ “
Despite the comparisons, Misty is happy to see people embrace the idea.
“Most people just say, ‘Oh, I love this,’ ” she said.
