Have You Seen Arizona’s Tallest Christmas Tree?

As the Christmas season ramps up, you're likely making your way out to a tree farm to pick out the centerpiece of your living room.

There are many ways people can judge a tree: how many presents it can fit under it, fullness, but most importantly, how tall it is.

Arizona's got that market cornered.

What is The Anthem Christmas Tree?

Located just outside of downtown Phoenix is Anthem, Arizona, a small suburb that hosts The Outlets North Phoenix. This is an Outlet mall that hosts one of Arizona's biggest Christmas traditions, literally.

Every year, outside the mall, a Christmas tree is erected, but it's not just any ordinary Christmas tree. This is The Anthem Christmas Tree, the largest tree in Arizona. Standing anywhere from 80 to 110 feet tall, this is a must see for any Arizonan, especially in the years when they hold the record for "Tallest Christmas Tree in the United States", an award they've seen quite a few times in the past decade.

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Anthem Christmas Tree Origins

The tradition began in 2002, with the tree being harvested in northern California's Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Since these pines are so tall, light is unable to reach the lower levels, leading to a much thinner lower level. How do you deal with that?

Well, artificial branches, of course! These are grafted on to the tree's lower levels to artificially "fluff up" the tree, making it look more like Rockefeller's and less like Charlie Brown's.

The tree continues to be shown every year, and it stays as the tallest tree in Arizona to this day.

[ABC15][Anthem Christmas Tree via Wikipedia]