The holiday traditions carry on at Outlets at Anthem this week with the 21st annual arrival of Arizona’s tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree.
Measuring 70-feet tall and 20-feet wide, the tree will make its grand entrance at the North Phoenix shopping center this Friday, November 4 at 6:30 a.m. and will be hoisted into place at 7:45 a.m. with the help of an industrial crane and Santa Claus himself.
“Nothing says the start of the holiday season like the arrival of the state’s tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree,” says Outlets at Anthem Director of Real Estate and Marketing JoAnn Truax. “For more than two decades we have been the perfect place for Valley residents to carry on holiday traditions and create new ones with the people they love. This year’s tree is a sight to see and we can’t wait to welcome visitors of all ages to our open air-shopping space to celebrate the wonders of the holiday season.”
The freshly-cut Christmas tree is being transported on a 40-foot flatbed truck from a specialty lot between California and Oregon to Outlets at Anthem, where Mr. Claus will do the honors of ushering the tree into place upon its arrival.
Friends and family can gather to witness the ceremonious occasion and enjoy festive activities and decorations including interviews with Santa, tours of Santa’s village, a children’s Christmas carol choir, giant gifts and ornaments, plus a full-sized sleigh.
To assure the tree withstands certain hazards and stays fresh all season long, it will be placed in a custom-made seven-foot deep well and sprayed with nearly 120 gallons of fire retardant, while six industrial guy wires will help stabilize the tree and protect it from windy weather.
A 10-person team of experts will then spend two weeks, and over 120 hours, to shape and decorate the tree using articulating boom lifts, more than 1.5 miles of LED lights equaling to approximately 10,000 bulbs, roughly 5,000 ornaments, multiple bows, and a three-foot tall copper star to top it off. When completely decorated, the tree will weigh close to four tons.
The public can experience the breathtaking tree light up for the first time and admire its wonder at the 21st annual tree lighting event and concert, which will take place on Saturday, November 19 at Outlets at Anthem, marking the official launch of the holiday season.
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