The council has put a sequoia in the Exchange out to pasture, just five years after it was planted as a living Christmas tree.
"The reason they put that tree there was as a Christmas tree," Classic Cafe owner Chris Baker said yesterday.
"The council used to decorate it, but it wasn't done last year.
"We were told all the decorations had gone to South Dunedin."
Rhonda's Clothing Alterations Studio owner Rhonda Walker said she was also disappointed.
"They said they won't decorate it anymore, but I don't think it's right.
"We have a lot of tourists through here.
"There are people taking photos of all the old buildings all the time.
"The tree looks good decorated and the Exchange doesn't look Christmasy without it.
"It should be done every year.
"It makes the Exchange look just as good as the Octagon," she said.
Local businesses rallied and contacted the council with their concerns about the undecorated tree.
"They said we were welcome to go and get the decorations from the council and put them up ourselves," Mrs Walker said.
"But, they also said to wear long sleeves, because the tree is prickly.
I thought: `How am I going to get up there on a ladder in a prickly tree'?"However, after a quick ring around of businesses there was soon a group eager to help.
Council events team leader Marilyn Anderson said the official Dunedin Christmas tree was the 10.5m tree in the Octagon, which was donated in 2004.
"We used to do the Exchange tree, but we haven't done it for about five years now," she said yesterday.
"Since the Caversham Foundation gave us $65,300 to have the tree in the Octagon for 10 years, that's been our main focus.
"But, when they found some people willing to decorate the tree in the Exchange, I rustled up some decorations for them that used to be on that tree.
"It's a good outcome."
