Santa left the North Pole early to supervise a massive Christmas tree delivery Monday at the Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles County.
The 115-foot white fir tree from Mt. Shasta was delivered to the shopping center located at 100 Citadel Dr. in Commerce as it kicks off the holiday season.
“You know it’s a little warm here in Southern California,” Santa said while decked out in his heavy red coat and thick stocking cap. “But I feel great. I love watching this tree go up … It’s going to look absolutely magical once it’s been installed.”
The tree completed a three-day trek from Mt. Shasta and will be decorated with more than 18,000 multicolored lights and 10,000 bows and ornaments over the next two weeks.
“While October might seem tree-mendously early for Christmas festivities, Citadel Outlets has a long-standing tradition of raising its massive tree in October, thanks to Victor’s Christmas Trees – one of the few suppliers capable of providing such grand arboreal specimens,” a Citadel Outlets spokesperson said.
The holiday showpiece was described as the “world’s tallest fresh-cut Christmas Tree” standing 35 feet taller than Rockefeller Center’s tree, 25 feet taller than the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel, and 70 feet taller than the Hollywood Sign.
Citadel Outlets will host its annual tree-lighting concert and celebration on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.
