What to Know
- "California's Tallest Fresh Cut Christmas Tree" will be on view at Citadel Outlets during the 2022 holidays
- The Commerce shopping center's official lighting is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 12
- The 115-foot white fir hails from a timber farm near Mt. Shasta; young trees will be planted in the area
The oft-seen Southern California-style signs that tell us that the sparkliest season is on the way?
A) Your neighbor has wrapped her palm trees and cactuses in twinkly lights.
B) Schedules for the Pacific-pretty boat parades have been posted.
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And C? Citadel Outlets has erected its enormous Christmas tree, a mid-October sight that will soon be followed by the famous red bow that tops the shopping center.
How enormous is this stately specimen? It's billed as "California's Tallest Fresh-Cut Christmas Tree," and the Commerce shopping center's 2022 entry looks to live up to the legend.
The 115-foot white fir arrived at the shopping center on Friday, Oct. 21 after a journey down from a timber farm in the Mt. Shasta area, where several young trees will be planted in its place. Victor's Christmas Trees of San Juan Capistrano, "the only company in California that provides full service for Christmas trees above 40 feet," was behind the extra-extra-big job.
Standing this huge fir upright at the shopping center's Center Court and draping it with thousands of lights isn't a task that can be done over an hour or two; rather, the process will "take up to two weeks," which is rather longer than it takes really any of us to add the ornaments to our at-home trees.
The glittery goal of the decorating staff? Have the tree dressed, decked out, and fully ready for the official lighting ceremony and concert on Saturday, Nov. 12.
A few facts about this fabulous fir tree?
It's 25 feet taller than the Pacific Wheel at Santa Monica Pier, some 70 feet taller than the Hollywood Sign, and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City? The Citadel Outlets team says its colossal California conifer is 40 feet higher.
It's so tall, in fact, that you can observe the tree's top section from the outside of the shopping center, even from a good distance away.
But that won't be the only sparkly, easy-to-see addition to the destination: That famous red bow, which is called the world's largest, will soon be placed atop the shopping center, another fanciful addition that says the yuletide season is on fast and festive approach.
If you're not quite ready for the holidays, though, be both chilled and cheered: Big Jack, "LA's Largest Pumpkin," is on view at the Citadel Outlets through Monday, Oct. 31.
