SeeCalifornia.com

Cross promotion has become really popular this holiday season. Disneyland’s characters are seen at Fashion Island Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 15 & Sat. Nov. 16 and they’re receiving promotional plugs throughout the holidays from the mall. Now that’s a deal!  The annual tree lighting ceremony with a 90 foot tree that each year is touted as the tallest or one of the tallest in the nation, has become so popular that the mall parking lots are crammed to capacity during the two-day event. Yes, it’s so popular that they hold the lighting ceremony two days, not one! In 2013 however, the tree lighting ceremony is going to take place every night (minus Disney characters). Every night at 5 p.m. from November 17, 2013 to January 5, 2014, enjoy the lighting of Fashion Island’s towering tree, Disney style, as it twinkles to life with custom Disney holiday music and glittering lights.

The 90 foot tree: The tree is selected and its branches are cut off for transportation from some beautiful forest down to Orange County. When the tree has been stationed in the courtyard of the mall, it looks like a big log or telephone pole, basically. Assemblers drill holes and stick a mix of branches from the tree and artificial limbs into the base, making it appear incredibly full and lush. At first touch you may be amazed that the branches seem fake, but on second glance your realize that indeed, many of them are artificial! Technically it’s a live tree, but…

Other big California trees are the National Christmas Tree, the General Grant, and Ferndale’s Nation’s Tallest Christmas Tree.