The Grove Christmas Tree is an approximately 100-foot Christmas tree that is lit every year at The Grove at Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, California. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] In 2002, it was the tallest Christmas tree in the Los Angeles area and attracted about 90,000 visitors a day during the holiday season. [7]
The tradition of lighting The Grove Christmas Tree takes place in mid-November after it was begun in 2002 by real estate developer and businessman Rick J. Caruso. He aimed to make the tree the centerpiece of his retail and entertainment complex, The Grove in Los Angeles, during the Christmas season. In time, the popularity of the annual lighting ceremony eventually rivaled that of the famed Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting [8] mid-town Manhattan, New York. The Grove Christmas Tree measures 100 to 110 feet while the Rockefeller Center tree is only about 75 to 90 feet. [9]
The first white fir tree used for the event was harvested from the Mount Shasta region in Northern California in 2010. [4] The following year, a 100-foot white fir was decorated with more than 10,000 lights and 15,000 ornaments, [2] setting the precedent for successive Christmas trees for The Grove at Farmers Market.
Among the performers who have graced the event are operatic acts Il Divo and Jackie Evancho, pop singers The Backstreet Boys, Michael Bolton, Far East Movement, Colbie Caillat, Sean Kingston, Gavin DeGraw, and Robin Thicke as well as American Idol alumni Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, and Phillip Phillips. [10] Caruso’s Top Hats Dancers Rachel Montez Collins and Kathryn Burns have also showcased their famous act. Actor and celebrity insider Mario Lopez hosts [11] the annual celebration.
For the 10th anniversary of the Christmas tree lighting, The Grove partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for its “Season of Wishes” campaign. Christmas lights and baubles covered the white fir tree as well as everything else at The Grove. The evening showcased artificial snowfall, bubbles, and a fireworks finale.
KCBS-TV, the Los Angeles area affiliate (and West Coast flagship station) of CBS, televises The Grove Christmas Tree lighting live every year. It is syndicated to hundreds of television stations across the United States, including most of the CBS network's owned-and-operated stations and other affiliates as well. [12]
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a fir, spruce, or pine, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas, originating in Germany associated with Saint Boniface. The custom was developed in medieval Livonia, and in early modern Germany where German Protestant Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. It acquired popularity beyond the Lutheran areas of Germany and the Baltic governorates during the second half of the 19th century, at first among the upper classes.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. It is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Eureka, California, near Weott in southern Humboldt County, within Northern California, named after the great nineteenth-century scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. The park was established by the Save the Redwoods League in 1921 largely from lands purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company. Beginning with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third-largest park in the California State Park system, now containing 51,651 acres (20,902 ha) through acquisitions and gifts to the state.
Christmas lights are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom goes back to when Christmas trees were decorated with candles, which symbolized Christ being the light of the world. The Christmas trees were brought by Christians into their homes in early modern Germany.
The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 900 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, on the border of downtown in Providence. It is a neoclassical building designed by McKim, Mead & White which features the fourth largest structural-stone dome in the world, topped by a gilded statue of "The Independent Man", representing freedom and independence. The building houses the Rhode Island General Assembly – the state House of Representatives is located in the west wing, and the Senate in the east – and the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and general treasurer of Rhode Island. Other state offices are located in separate buildings on a campus just north of the State House.
The Grove is a retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, located on parts of the historic Farmers Market.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a large Christmas tree placed annually in Rockefeller Center, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The tree is put in place in mid November and lit in a public ceremony on the Wednesday evening following Thanksgiving. Since 1997, the lighting has been broadcast live, to hundreds of millions, on NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center telecast. The tree lighting ceremony is aired at the end of every broadcast, following live entertainment and the tree is lit by the current Mayor of New York City, the CEO and president of Tishman Speyer and special guests. An estimated 125 million people visit the attraction each year.
The White House Christmas Tree, also known as the Blue Room Christmas Tree, is the official indoor Christmas tree at the residence of the president of the United States, the White House. The first indoor Christmas tree was installed in the White House sometime in the 19th century and since 1961 the tree has had a themed motif at the discretion of the First Lady of the United States.
Angel City Chorale (ACC) is a Los Angeles choir conducted by founder and artistic director Sue Fink.
The Milwaukee City Christmas Tree, also known as Milwaukee City Holiday Tree (1995–2006) is a pine tree that is placed at city hall and decorated by the city council of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the Christmas holiday season. The tradition began in 1913 and continues to this day.
The National Christmas Tree is a large evergreen tree located in the northeast quadrant of the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. Each year since 1923, the tree has been decorated as a Christmas tree. Every year, early in December, the tree is traditionally lit by the President and First Lady of the United States. Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has also made formal remarks during the tree lighting ceremony.
Caruso, formerly Caruso Affiliated Holdings, LLC, is one of the largest, privately held real estate companies in the United States. It was founded by Rick Caruso in 1987, with Corinne Verdery as its CEO since 2022. Caruso has a portfolio of retail and mixed-use properties in Southern California, including ones in Los Angeles, Glendale, Calabasas, Pacific Palisades, Marina Del Rey, Encino and Thousand Oaks.
The Americana at Brand is a large shopping, dining, entertainment and residential complex in Glendale, California. The property was built and is owned and operated by Los Angeles businessman Rick J. Caruso and his company Caruso Affiliated. Caruso Affiliated has built and operates many other projects, including The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles. The Americana at Brand's 82 retail shops include Barneys New York, Nordstrom, XXI Forever, and David Yurman; its restaurants include Din Tai Fung, Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, and Katsuya; the complex comprises 100 condominiums and 242 luxury apartments.
Christmas tree production occurs worldwide on Christmas tree farms, in artificial tree factories and from native strands of pine and fir trees. Christmas trees, pine and fir trees purposely grown for use as a Christmas tree, are grown on plantations in many western nations, including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In Australia, the industry is relatively new, and nations such as the United States, Germany and Canada are among world leaders in annual production.
Christmas tree cultivation is an agricultural, forestry, and horticultural occupation which involves growing pine, spruce, and fir trees specifically for use as Christmas trees.
The Chicago Christmas Tree is the city of Chicago's official Christmas tree. It is located in Millennium Park. Historically, the tree was located in Grant Park and Daley Plaza.
Wilshire Grand Center is a 1,100-foot (335.3 m) skyscraper in the financial district of downtown Los Angeles, California, occupying the entire city block between Wilshire Boulevard and 7th, Figueroa, and Francisco streets. Completed in 2017, it is the tallest building west of Chicago. Its height surpasses L.A.'s U.S. Bank Tower by 82 ft (25 m). The Skyscraper Center lists the Wilshire Grand Center as the 15th-tallest building in the U.S. and the 95th-tallest in the world. It won the Structural Engineering Award 2019 Award of Excellence from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Christmas Kisses is the debut Christmas record and extended play (EP) by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on December 13, 2013 in most countries, and on December 17, 2013 in the United States, as a collection of two covers of classic Christmas songs, and two original songs. On December 3, 2014, the Japanese special edition was released for CD and two days later for digital download. It peaked at number twenty-five on the Oricon chart. The Japanese edition included a new track, "Santa Tell Me", which was released on November 24, 2014 as the fifth and final single from the EP. The EP went on to sell 68,871 copies in the US and over 405,000 copies worldwide.
The Anthem Christmas tree is a Christmas tree erected annually at the Outlets at Anthem, an outlet mall in northern Maricopa County, Arizona, approximately 30 mi (48 km) north of downtown Phoenix. The mall's tree is the tallest Christmas tree in the state of Arizona every year, and is often listed as the tallest Christmas tree in the United States.
