For Christmas, A Tree Decorated in Blue

You may have already seen this on Kotaku or via the Sega Twitter, but if not, take a look at the gallery below to experience some holiday magic, Sonic style.

This special Christmas tree was decorated by the Valdez family, headed up by Tanya Valdez, better known as Beatboxtaun on website 8bitfix.  Tito, Tanya’s son, is described by her as “the biggest Sonic fan there is.”  So, for the hedgehog’s 20th anniversary, the family tree and wreath were adorned with Sonic sprites of old and new.  Representation spanned from the original Sonic to some Sonic Colors era poses.  You’ll even find a Werehog in there somewhere.

Valdez says the end result is special not only for her son, but for herself, as she saw her father for the last time during its assembly.

“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,’ ” Valdez said.  “He passed away the next morning. Without getting too deep into the story, this should convey how special this tree is.”

Valdez says as part of the Sonic themed holiday, she intended to gift Tito a Sonic 20th anniversary statue, but couldn’t due to its tight availability.  Given how the company afforded one to The Sonic Stadium as part of its GreenAid donation raffle, perhaps Sega can still make Christmas merry for young Tito and a family that, while enduring tragedy, still showcases a magnificent display of Sonic pride.

With that, we wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and happy Holiday season.  We’ll be back Monday with more news.  In between, don’t forget to cherish the time with your loved ones; you may never realize how special that time is until it’s gone.