IT can be a tricky operation, but putting up the Christmas tree does not normally involve removing the front door or abseiling from the ceiling.
However, when the first real tree in five years was installed and decorated at Jenners department store over the weekend, a military-style effort was required to get 40-foot Norwegian spruce in place.
Special aerial teams worked all night on Saturday, using ropes and harnesses to put up 9500 lights ahead of the switch-on.
The team of 25 contractors had already taken out the department store's revolving door in order to get the tree in.
But staff declared that the hard work and sleepless night had been worth it when brothers Frankie, six, and Adam Cusack, four, turned on the lights. The boys won the prize following a charity auction in aid of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.
Store manager Alan Thomlinson said: "This is the first time we've had a real tree for five years. The chief executive was keen to go back to the traditions of Jenners.
"Customers ask every year 'When are you going to put up a real tree again?' You don't get the smell and the whole atmosphere from a fake one.
HEAD FOR HEIGHTS: A specialist team used ropes and harnesses for the task. Pictures: GREG MACVEAN
"The tree has been specially treated so it doesn't drop too many needles. It's also a case of vacuuming up every morning."
Aimi Hautau, head of personal shopping and publicity, added: "People do come especially to see the tree, and for the whole Christmas experience. We've had e-mails from customers in England asking if the tree was up."
A team from K2 Specialist Services Ltd helped remove a revolving door, before carrying the tree into the grand hall.
The tree had arrived in a truck from a forest in the Scottish Borders, with a police escort because of its size to ensure the journey went smoothly.
The contractors used a motor and ropes to winch it up and into place. It has been anchored in a wooden base, with a supply of water to keep it hydrated.
The store's visual team then worked through the night, spending nearly 13 hours decorating the tree. Specially trained workers used ropes and harnesses to abseil from the roof and place the thousands of tiny white lights.
Frankie and Adam had helped the visual team choose the Norwegian spruce, nicknamed "Bruce the Spruce", from the Duke of Buccleuch's Borders estate.
Ian Kirby, Jenners' visual manager, said: "We chose this one for colour and fullness. It's a very lush green. We hope it will last until after New Year. We keep the temperature down so it doesn't get too dried out."
The previously-used fake tree, specially made to fit the grand hall, was the largest indoor one in Europe when it was first erected in 2003. But many customers complained that it was not the same.
Catriona Gillespie, 33, a full-time mum from Stockbridge, watched the lights being switched on with her two children.
She said: "It's much nicer having a real one, and more in keeping with the traditional feel of the shop. It really gets you in the mood for Christmas shopping.
