Celebrating 20 years of Sega's blurry blue mascot, this Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas tree from 8BitFix's Beatboxtaun stands as both a monument to video game culture and a reminder of those who won't be with us this holiday season.
We've featured Tanya "Beatboxtaun" Valdez's creations on Kotaku several times over the past couple of years, from her lovely Punch Out!!! scarf to her previous entries in the world's geekiest Christmas tree contest.
This year's tree holds a particularly strong place in Beatboxtaun's heart, however, as it was the last tree she shared with her father, who recently passed away.
This tree is also very special because my dad came to visit us Sunday evening, as we were working on the tree. It was nice to be able to work on Sonic Christmas ornaments and chat with my parents. I know Tito was very proud of the tree and one of the last things my dad said, as he left our house was, "That's one heck of a tree. Now, if he could only do Mickey Mouse." We found that very humorous because, although my father is the one that got me into gaming, he doesn't know a lot of video game characters. He passed away the next morning. Without getting too deep into the story, this should convey how special this tree is.
Our hearts go out to Tanya and her family in this time of tragedy, just as they soar when we behold the majesty of her hedgehog-infested holiday creation.
Sonic 20th Anniversary Christmas Tree [8BitFix]