Throngs of people pass through the Outlets at Anthem during the holiday season, hurrying from store to store and stopping to marvel at the giant Christmas tree in the courtyard. It’s a stunning sight: a towering, 70-foot fresh-cut evergreen adorned with miles of string lights and thousands of ornaments.
At 70 feet tall and 20 feet wide, it is the biggest Christmas tree in Arizona – and has held that title for the past two decades. Though plenty of people gaze at the glittering tree every year, they may not know where it came from or the elaborate process behind its presence.
The tree arrived on November 4 from California on a flatbed truck and was then hoisted into place by an industrial crane. Crews then spent the next two weeks decorating the tree with more than 5,000 ornaments that range from 4 inches to a foot long, and more than a mile of LED lights.
Victor Serrao is the man behind the operation. He owns Victor’s Custom Christmas Trees in San Juan Capistrano, California, which is the No. 1 distributor of real, fully decorated Christmas trees in the world. He specializes in tall trees – ranging from 20 to 150 feet – and employs a team of nearly 70 people who work year-round to prepare each tree for the holiday season.
His passion for pines dates back to the 1950s, when his parents owned a Christmas tree lot and were renowned for their ability to customize any tree. He recalls one customer who requested a flocked tree to match the magenta hue of her hair.
“It grew from there. Banks started finding out about it and they were like, ‘Hey, our motif is blue and silver. Can you get us a tree a little taller and decorate It with those colors?’” Serrao says. They expanded into hotels and ultimately signed a contract with Disneyland, specializing in 100-foot-plus trees. He has been in the family business for nearly 30 years.
This is the 20th consecutive year that the Outlets at Anthem will be home to the state’s tallest Christmas tree. Serrao has overseen the process every year. He is diligent about protecting the environment, so he carefully selects his trees from privately held timber companies in California to preserve nearly 70,000 acres of existing forests.
“Every year, we go up in the summer and I have a guide up there and he communicates with the companies. We go and search for the trees, find them, tag them and, at this time of the year, we cut them.”
The tree in Anthem, which weighs nearly four tons, is held up by a series of industrial wires. Once the guide wires are put in place, the team begins adding additional branches to make the tree look “nice and full,” Serrao says. Then it gets a coat of flame retardant. “It’s got a little green in it to keep it looking fresh. Then it gets all the lights and ornaments and we’re done.”
Serrao says the most rewarding part is seeing people admiring the tree and taking Christmas photos in front of it. Of course, it does not come without challenges. “If you get heavy rain, especially if you’re supposed to spray on this flame retardant, you cannot do anything and it can hinder the schedule of this tree,” he explains.
Thankfully, everything went according to plan this season and the tree is currently on display at the Outlets at Anthem and will be there through early January.
250 W. Anthem Way, Phoenix, 623-465-9500, outletsatanthem.com
