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Montreal’s infamous ugly Christmas tree of 2016 — one that generated headlines and social media posts around the world because of its awkward appearance — is the inspiration behind an entire village this holiday season.

A new “ugly” tree is being unveiled this Friday as part of the Village du Vilain Sapin, an installation to be erected near downtown to celebrate imperfections.

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The group responsible for finding last year’s tree is also behind the new village, constructed around another authentic, albeit much smaller tree at about 20 metres high.

“It’s a bit of a nod to last year’s tree,” said Philippe Pelletier.

“It could become a Montreal tradition — instead of having a magnificent, perfect tree every year, you have one that’s authentic, crooked, a little bizarre with personality that could be super original and a mark of distinction for Montreal.”

Last year’s tree became a social media hit and garnered stories in major publications ranging from the New York Times and Washington Post to People Magazine — for all the wrong reasons.