LINCOLN SQUARE — On paper, a majestic 20-foot Fraser fir sounds like the anti-Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Yet despite its impressive height and girth, the massive Fraser we stumbled across at a tree lot at Eastwood and Western is as unloved as the Peanuts gang's scrawny pine — too big for the average condo, too small for Millennium Park (the city's tree is 63 feet).
Julian Russell, who's managing the lot at 4620 N. Western Ave., received an advance order for the super-sized fir, which was trucked in from North Carolina, only to have the buyers change their mind.
Now he's stuck with a 1,000-pound tree that he's struggling to upright in order to even display it for sale.
"Usually people are looking for a six- or seven-foot tree," he said.
So if you know anyone with tall ceilings — the official White House tree topped out at 18-1/2 feet, for reference — pay Russell a visit.
"We're charging $9 a foot, but I'm sure we could work out a deal," he said.
The lot also advertises free delivery within three miles, an offer Russell acknowledged with a laugh.
"We'd figure it out," he said.
The tree lot is open daily, 10 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m., and accepts cash or credit.
