Holiday season off to an early start at Americana

The holiday season started getting underway at the Americana at Brand on Tuesday with the arrival of a 100-foot Christmas tree.

Pulling up on the back of a giant flatbed truck, the white fir comes from the Mt. Shasta area in Northern California.

A giant crane hoisted the tree to an upright stance in the heart of the downtown outdoor shopping mall.

Over the next several weeks, the tree will be decorated with 15,000 lights and 10,000 ornaments in time for its debut at the Americana at Brand tree-lighting event and holiday show at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19.