Belfast Briefing:Retailers in Belfast are hoping that Christmas 2007, against the backdrop of the North's new political stability, will be one of their busiest yet.

The "peace and goodwill" message already being delivered by the North's Executive should boost festive till-ringing and encourage more first-time visitors to come and see what the city has to offer.

But if omens are anything to go by, then a few superstitious retailers may be keeping their fingers crossed today.

Yesterday Belfast City Council was forced to postpone its Christmas preparations after it found itself without a tree to erect.

The council had bought a 13.7m (45ft) Norway spruce from Parkanaur Forest Park in Co Tyrone, but the tree posed a safety problem when it started to split in two.

According to the council, it is sourcing another tree and, to the relief of retailers, it should be in place by today. Christmas shopping can then officially get under way when the lights are switched on next week.

Dave Pennick, president of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, says there is an air of optimism across the city that is hard to miss.

"We're preparing early to deliver the best experience that we can and we hope that revenues will reflect that. There is a lot happening in Belfast city - there has been a good improvement in the perception of how safe the city is and there is no doubt that the peace process and the fact that we have our own government all contributes to the optimism here."

A 13.7m Christmas tree will require a considerable number of lights. Belfast City Council is unable to say quite how many lights will be needed to illuminate the 2007 tree. But the good news for the council's ratepayers is that, thanks to the new single electricity market, it should be less expensive to light the tree in the future.

The North's Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Nigel Dodds, joined Andris Piebalgs, the European commissioner for energy, and Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan in Belfast yesterday to mark the creation of the single electricity market.

The cost of electricity is a major issue for businesses in the North - in some cases it is 50 per cent higher than in other parts of the UK.

Business groups argue that high energy prices cost jobs and investment.

Nigel Smyth, director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Northern Ireland, believes the single electricity market will deliver significant benefits to businesses in the medium to long term.

"This is only a start, but it is a good start as far as we are concerned," he said.

"Together with Ibec, the CBI has been pushing for more integration on the island on energy issues. What we now have - instead of two very small markets - is one bigger market, which will encourage investment in operating capacity."

Being able to talk up the prospect of more efficient energy costs for investors will be a welcome development for Dodds on his trade mission to the US and Canada this week.

Also selling the benefits of the North to investors is Minister for Employment and Learning Sir Reg Empey, who is on an official visit to India.

Both Ministers are keenly aware of the fact that many Northern Ireland businesses are struggling and that jobs, particularly in manufacturing and traditional industries, are under threat.

This is best illustrated by the fact that almost 100 people received redundancy notices at a Co Down textile factory yesterday. The company, Regency Spinning in Newtownards, is yet another example of a Northern business that just could not compete against "significant competition from overseas".

The economic landscape, like the political landscape, is changing rapidly in Northern Ireland.

In a week when the military wing of one of the North's largest paramilitary groups finally stood down, it is worth reflecting on how far Northern Ireland has come in a relatively short space of time.

On a freezing-cold night in Belfast just over a decade ago, the then US president, Bill Clinton, stood in front of a tree sent over from Nashville, Tennessee, and told thousands of people that the US and Northern Ireland were "partners".

Clinton said they were partners "for security, partners for prosperity and, most important, partners for peace".

Back then it seemed little more than a Christmas wish - today it is a reality, but one that the North's new government still needs to cement.