DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A beloved holiday tradition in Dearborn Heights nearly fell apart this year after a tree shipment got stuck overseas. But a local businessman and a Michigan tree farmer jumped in, saving the celebration at the last minute.
The 40-foot Norway spruce now stands tall in front of city hall in Dearborn Heights, where it will remain for years to come as the centerpiece of the city's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
The tradition was almost canceled when the tree ordered by the previous administration ran into serious delays. New Mayor Mo Baydoun said the lower-cost artificial tree shipped from overseas wouldn't arrive in time.
"We ordered a fake tree from China. We actually just got an update that it's on its way. It would be here by Thursday, but it would be too late for us to set this tree up and get it going," Baydoun said.
The city faced two options: cancel the event completely or find a way to pay for a replacement tree.
That's when Huff's Tree Farm in Highland and a local business owner stepped in to help. Part owner Nicholas Huff said city representatives came to the farm looking for a large Christmas tree.
"We were having a normal day selling Christmas trees and then two vehicles went through and they said 'hey, we're from the city of Dearborn Heights and we're looking for a large Christmas tree,'" Huff said.
Huff had the perfect tree in mind.
"So I said that has to be your tree. It's one of the prettiest ones we have at the farm," Huff said.
His company paid for a portion of the approximately $10,000 Norway spruce, while Dearborn Heights businessman Sam Hussein covered the rest.
"I thought it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. They had a tree-lighting ceremony set up for this Friday and they were really on a time crunch and this is our way of giving back," Hussein said.
Huff said he felt proud to help the community during the holiday season.
"I feel a good sense of pride being able to help the community, help our tree farm and kind of bring people together during this special time of year," Huff said.
For Baydoun, the tree represents more than just a holiday tradition. As an immigrant Muslim mayor, he sees it as a symbol of unity and coexistence.
"With a lot of the hate that's kind of going around and not realizing as an immigrant Muslim mayor, we still coexist and we still celebrate the traditions of Christmas, and so we're able to bring that back to light and showing that this is a unified community and we're going to stay unified and we're going to stay working and loving and showing respect to all faiths and religions," Baydoun said.
Community members like Mohammed Jaffer and Debbie Cook expressed excitement about the upcoming ceremony.
"It has a lot of potential," Jaffer said.
"I'm happy," Cook said.
The tree-lighting ceremony will take place Friday at 6:30 p.m. outside Dearborn Heights City Hall.
You can find more information on the city's website.
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