Tis the season...

Christmas Tree Arrives At State Capitol

LITTLE ROCK -- The 26-foot-tall eastern red cedar was a match Wednesday for a team of 20 men that wrestled it up the state Capitol steps to a second-floor entrance.

Wednesday morning, the Arkansas Forestry Commission cut the tree from the front yard of Herman and Mary Smith of Cabot. The couple said they decided to donate the tree because they were concerned its roots would damage a nearby septic tank.

The tree, escorted by forestry workers, arrived at the bottom of the Capitol steps on the back of a flatbed trailer. Workers rolled it off and dragged it up the 30 steps, leaving a trail of cedar twigs and a green smudge. They stuffed the tree through the bronze doors of the rotunda and hoisted it into place in a corner.

brutal.