Largest fresh-cut Christmas tree in Arizona arrives at Anthem Outlets

PHOENIX — The holiday season is right around the corner as Arizona’s largest fresh-cut Christmas tree arrived Thursday morning at the Outlets at Anthem.

Measuring 70-feet tall and 20-feet wide, the Christmas tree arrived from the California/Oregon border on a flatbed truck just after 6:30 a.m. and was raised into place shortly after with an industrial crane.

“For 20 years, Outlets at Anthem has dependably provided this festive and cheery holiday attraction,” JoAnn Truax, director of real estate and marketing for Outlets at Anthem, said in a press release.

“The tallest Christmas tree in Arizona is a sight to see, and we can’t wait to welcome the community to our open-air space where they can carry on their holiday traditions and create new ones with the ones they love.”

Now comes the monumental task of decorating the tree.

A 10 person team will work on decorating the tree for more than 120 hours over the course of the next two weeks, the shopping center said, using articulating boom lifts to complete the job.

The Christmas tree will feature more than 1.5 miles of LED lights, made up of approximately 10,000 bulbs, that will light up the tree and its 5,000 ornaments and bows.

Topping the Christmas tree is a 3-foot tall copper star, which the shopping center said is a nod to the state’s official medal.

The tree once fully decorated will weigh close to 4 tons, and six industrial wires will hold the tree in place to stabilize it during windy weather.

People can see the Christmas tree in all of its glory starting Nov. 20 with the tree lighting and sing-along event at 6 p.m., featuring local singers and dancers accompanying some of the most beloved holiday songs.

Santa and his elves will flip the switch to illuminate the tree and ring in the start of the most wonderful time of the year.

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