ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times From left, city employees Dan Whittle, Kevin Francis, Chris Hess and Mike Hill work on guiding the city’s blue spruce Christmas tree into a hole in the ground.

There is still more than a month to go until Dec. 25, but folks in downtown Marietta got a taste of the holidays Thursday morning when the city’s community Christmas tree made its way to Armory Square. The blue spruce, which is approximately 28 feet tall, was given to the city by Dean and Helen Kehl of Whipple. “I read last year where someone had done that (donated a tree to the city), so we decided to call,” said Helen Kehl. “We needed it taken down because it was blocking our view, so it was a win-win for everybody.” Helen Kehl’s father had worked for the Ohio Department of Highways and brought the tree home from the state nursery as a seedling nearly 50 years ago. “It was one of two that lived,” she said. Marietta Mayor Michael Mullen went to the Kehls’ to take a look at the tree and it met his approval. “For them to share a piece of their family history with the citizens of Marietta and Washington County, we appreciate it very much,” Mullen sai.