Extra resources are fine. The main issues part of the player base had with the previous event, which this one is modelled on,
was the total randomness of lootbox drops and that highly desirable/motivating rewards that where progress-based in other events were handled by RNG this time around. CDPR has fixed the lootbox drop issue. They just need to fix the second one in a manner that is as fair as it can be for all players.
As for the reward book, it is a long term project, even longer term with the introduction of the seasonal trees. As I said, I usually get only two reward points per day, it's going to take a while for me to do it. I am not pushing myself to play more than I want to just to fill a resource book, it does not mean the book is badly designed, it means I see it as a long term project.
And that's definitely the thing where extra resource drops is fantastic for players like yourself. Currently your progress is hamstrung not only by the length of time it takes to complete a tree, but also the shear quantity of trees in the book. If CDPR would take cosmetics out of the lootboxes and replace them with individual card rewards (ICR), then this would definitely give time-poor players a leg up. The card reward is only going to result in one of 3 outcomes -
1. It fills a hole in the collection
2. It ends up being a lucky drop which gives the player a card that gets them closer to building a competitive deck; or,
3. It provides scrap resources at the minimum.
That's assuming that CDPR has these events to keep players busy, which I think isn't the main reason. Rather players expect a thematic event matching the real-world counterpart. Regardless, it's good to know players aren't (more) motivated by this (according to the limited pool).
In part, yes. But CDPR has done thematic events in the past that haven't deviated from the expected formula for the game at the time (e.g. Midwinter/Christmas, Makaham Ale Fest/Oktoberfest, Saovine/Halloween). I think there is some deeper reasoning behind the experimentation. As I said about the Yule festival, lootbox drops can provide a way of rewarding players for playing, even if the season dictates they have less time to play. Allowing RNG to handle rewards plays into this, but it also lines up with how their competitiors handle their reward systems.
Another thing to consider is that reward book completion becomes unattainable to new players as new trees are added for expansions, seasons and other events. I could see the lootbox-style of event modified to cover factional challenges, some expansion rewards and seasonal rewards. Particularly for seasons, it would allow current trees to be pruned since the lootbox could handle powder, scrap and ore rewards. For expansions, theoretically, it could even negate the need for new addiditions to the reward book entirely; saving CDPR time, money and ingame resources.