Live bands, shining lights, and smiles all around. These are just some of the things one sees at a Christmas tree lighting. Almost every major city holds a tree lighting to kick off the holiday season. Some cities celebrate the day after Thanksgiving while others wait until a cold December night. Out of all the major cities in the nation, Los Angeles has the tallest Christmas tree!
Here are five of the biggest tree lightings from 2010:
Los Angeles, CA: The Grove continued its big holiday tradition in LA. This year the marketplace has a 100-foot tree from Mt. Shasta! The tree has 15,000 lights and 10,000 ornaments. They say it doesn’t snow in sunny SoCal, but locals know it snows every night at The Americana at Brand on Carosu Avenue at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm everyday until December 24th. Other festive ways to getting in the winter spirit are by visiting The Grove for a Flurry of Winter Fun, or going to LA Live’s ice skating rink!
Portland, OR: Many people remember Portland’s tree lighting as a failed bombing attempt, but nonetheless, on the day after Thanksgiving, Portlanders and turkey travelers gathered around the Pioneer Courthouse Square to watch Oregon’s tree lighting ceremony. The ceremony is meant to celebrate the official start of the holiday season. This year’s tree reached 75-feet!
New York City, NY: Everyone knows about Rockefeller Center’s ice skating rink and Christmas tree lighting, but it really is a beautiful place to be in December. The whole center is decorated and with the weather, it truly feels like a winter wonderland. This year the Norway spruce tree hit 74-feet. It has 30,000 environment-friendly LED lights and every year it is topped by a Swarovski crystal star! Talk about elegance!
Washington, DC: This year the nation’s capitol marked their 87th annual Christmas tree lighting. Thousands gathered in front of the White House to watch performances by Maroon 5, B.B. King, and Sara Bareilles. Barack Obama and his family lit up the cold sky with a Wyoming Christmas tree. Americans of all ages came together to celebrate the season with the message of peace. This year, DC also had the greenest tree ever lit. General Electric provided LED lights for the 67-foot tree!
Chicago, IL: This year Chicago celebrated its 97th Christmas tree lighting! Locals and travelers anticipate the event every single year in Daley Plaza. Santa’s workshop is right below the tree and is there until Christmas Eve. Children get to meet Santa at the base of the 50-foot tree! Now that sounds like fun!!
These are just some of the many Christmas tree events across the country. If you have any exciting experiences to share, I would love to hear them!