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60-Foot Norway Spruce Makes Its Arrival At Campus Martius Park For Christmas

DETROIT (WWJ) - There were people in short sleeves enjoying lunch as a 60-foot Norway spruce from Cadillac, Michigan was lowered into its holiday home.

Detroit had the warmest day yet as a large crane was used to set the official Christmas tree onto it's perch at Campus Martius Park.

Bob Gregory of the Detroit 300 Conservancy says the tree will take a week and half to decorate with ornaments and three miles of lights.

Detroit Christmas Tree (SMcNeill) (2)It will also undergo a facelift.

"We put a lot of branches in to really fill in where ever there are holes in terms of the actual natural shape of the thing too ... so we've done that every year and we end up with a beautiful, perfect but we just fill in the tree along the way," said Gregory.

Gregory says the unseasonable warmth has put the ice rink set up behind, but the city still hopes to open it by November 13th. The tree will be lit on November 20th with over 19,000 lights.

"I think the first year we were actually building the park," said Gregory. "We opened in 2004 - it was in the high 60s - it was a little bit similar but not like this, this is so we can make the ice rink."

Barbara Sireno says while the weather is unseasonably warm, she's got the holiday spirit. "It's unbelievable, but I don't care - I'm in the spirit," adding her tree at home doesn't go up until December.

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