Alva Review-Courier -

ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) — It has been called beautiful, awesome and brilliant, a transcendent work of art that reimagines the holiday experience with local touches of the Jersey Shore.

It also has been called ridiculous, ugly and hideous, something akin to a pile of Amazon shipping boxes or a giant cat-scratching post.

Good grief!

A fresh-cut natural Christmas tree usually graces the Grand Arcade at Convention Hall on Asbury Park's historic boardwalk.

But this year, in its place is art made of cardboard in the shape of a tree that also incorporates elements of the seashore, the city's architect...