It has been a massive part of the Trafford Centre's Christmas experience for over ten years - but the famous giant singing Christmas tree has had the CHOP for 2021.
The Christmas lights at the vast shopping mall were all switched on at the weekend, but the huge festive tree that would "come alive" and sing to kids near Waterstones was absent.
Centre bosses have confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that the tree is not making a return for 2021, having been "retired" after over a decade of work there.
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The towering tree, decked with baubles and fairy lights, featured the face and voice of a man, which would burst into festive song at regular intervals as well as coming out with cheerful Christmas messages from his fir tree lips.
It's fair to say it delighted and terrified youngsters in equal measure over the years, but it became something of an iconic stop-off point for festive shoppers at the John Lewis end of the mall.
Explaining the tree's absence this year, Trafford Centre diretor Zoe Inman said: "After many years of service, our singing Christmas tree is taking well deserved retirement.
"We hope visitors enjoy the rest of our spectacular Christmas lights across the malls, including an enormous sparkling chandelier in the Main Dome.”
In previous years a huge Christmas Lights switch-on event was held at the centre to herald the start of the festive season, with live performers and a celebrity guest to lead the countdown.
But it was cancelled last year due to Covid restrictions.
The decision was taken not to have a large-scale switch-on event this year, and to turn the lights on as soon as possible instead to get people into the festive spirit.
However a full programme of "Tinseltown" festive events are to be announced later this week to take over the outdoor site that has just finished hosting the Halloween Spookfest, including a Christmas Grotto.
Extended opening hours at the centre have also just been confirmed, with shops opening an hour earlier from 9am from Monday December 11th, as well as four days of late-night shopping the week before Christmas from Monday December 20th to Thursday December 23rd inclusive.
Director Zoe said: "This year at the Trafford Centre, we’re going even bigger, better and louder than ever before with our Christmas cheer.
"We’ve decided to kickstart the festivities by turning on our spectacular Christmas lights early!
"We have a whole host of unmissable festive events to announce, as well as late night shopping and festive music on the malls."
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