When Parade’s significant other announced she was going downtown on Sunday morning to buy a tree from one of the shopping centres, Parade assumed she would come back with something cute and petite.

Instead, when she got home, Parade had to help her wrestle a two-metre monster (in a box) through the garage and into the lounge room, where, once all the parts were unpacked, it took up half the floor space.

The subsequent construction lasted for most of the afternoon.

The various branches had to be carefully unfolded from the trunk, baubles of all shapes and sizes had to have little bits of string threaded through their handles (this was the really time-consuming part – Parade has had illnesses that didn't last as long as this process) and, finally, the baubles and Christmas lights had to be arranged on the tree just so.

So that’s that. Parade just needs to block out a day in January – two days, to be certain - for the big dismantling and deconstruction.

Come to think of it, maybe Parade should make that three days.

Or even four.

PARADE thinks Virgin Australia passengers are in for a treat when they get to see our iconic Mount Panorama at its very best. 

The airline’s new safety video, which was released on Tuesday, features Supercars driver Jamie Whincup in a race around the famous Mount Panorama track. In the video, Virgin Australia cabin crew challenge Whincup to complete a lap of the track before they can finish delivering the safety briefing.

Whincup is joined in his Red Bull Racing Australia Supercar by Virgin Australia Captain Bradley Clarke, who is normally found in the cockpit of a Boeing 737.

The video also features Supercars drivers Mark Winterbottom and Rick Kelly. 

Virgin Australia is naming rights partner of the Supercars championship. The video will appear on its fleet of Airbus A330 and Boeing 777.