A towering 115-foot white fir arrived at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, California, early Monday morning. This delivery marks the unofficial start of the holiday season more than two months before Christmas Day. Transported on a flatbed truck, the massive tree completed a grueling three-day, 600-mile journey from the forests of Mount Shasta in Northern California to settle into its annual home at the shopping center’s Center Court.
A 600-Mile Journey for a Southern California Tradition
The arrival of the colossal evergreen kicks off a massive preparation effort at 100 Citadel Drive. Organizers welcomed the trucked-in landmark with Santa Claus on hand to greet the delivery. Billed by event organizers as the world’s tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree, the white fir was hand-selected by Victor Serrao, owner of Victor’s Christmas Trees, a family-run business specializing in trees over 40 feet tall.
Transporting a tree of this magnitude is no simple task. Before making the trek south, workers trimmed extra-wide branches to secure the fir onto a flatbed trailer. Now positioned in the heart of the retail complex, crews face a two-week installation window to perfect its appearance before the public sees it fully illuminated.
Landmark Comparisons and Scale
Citadel Outlets embraces the dramatic scale of its holiday centerpiece, routinely comparing its height to famous landmarks. According to mall officials, the 115-foot tree towers significantly over several iconic structures:
- 70 feet taller than the Hollywood Sign
- 38 feet taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland
- 35 feet taller than the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York
- 25 feet taller than the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel
- Taller than seven double-decker buses stacked vertically by 10 feet
Preparation and Upcoming Lighting Ceremony
Transforming the raw white fir into a polished holiday spectacle takes considerable craftsmanship. Over the next fortnight, workers will meticulously attach more than 1,000 individual branches to refine the tree’s symmetry and fullness. Once shaped, crews will treat the tree with a fire-r****dant coating and adorn it with more than 18,000 multicolored lights alongside approximately 10,000 ornaments and bows.
The extensive setup leads directly into the shopping center’s landmark milestone event. Citadel Outlets will host its 25th Annual Tree Lighting Concert and Ceremony on November 7, kicking off the festivities at 5 p.m. The concert and light reveal are free and open to the public, drawing thousands of visitors to celebrate the winter holidays in Southern California.
