Candy canes are starting to gently push out pumpkin-shaped candies on the shelves at our local store, and snowmen are replacing skeletons in the whimsical windows of home goods shops.
But the biggest sign that the sparkliest season is rapping at the door has to be the one that traditionally arrives around the third week in October: We are, of course, talking about the moment when what is billed as the World’s Tallest Fresh-Cut Christmas Tree rolls down the 5 Freeway in the dark, pre-dawn hours of a crisp fall morning.
Well, it hasn’t been especially crisp this October, but spying the celebrity shrub rolling for Citadel Outlets can make a person long for sweaters and cocoa. And that moment occurred before sunrise on Oct. 19, 2026, a sign to Southern Californians that the time for warm drinks and snuggly blankets is nearly here.
The shopping center is synonymous with the sky-high symbol of the yuletide season, a huge tree that “pokes” out of the open-air center each year, standing taller than the surrounding buildings. This means you can behold the behemoth specimen from some distance away, or at least its tip-top section.
As in years past, the tree was transported from Mt. Shasta and stands at around 115 feet. It will soon be adorned with 18,000 lights — actually, the bulbs will surpass that number — and thousands of bows, gewgaws, and ornaments, with that number topping out around 10,000.
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Santa Claus met the mega tree at the Citadel Outlets entrance Oct. 19, 2026.
Victor Serrao of Victor’s Christmas Trees selected the perfect tree, as he has done several times in the past.
The Christmas tree expert, along with his team, “… take meticulous care in harvesting, preparing and transporting each towering tree,” shared Citadel Outlets.
“Before beginning its journey south, this year’s white fir had its extra-wide branches carefully trimmed and was secured onto a flatbed truck for its three-day trip from Mt. Shasta to Commerce.”
You can spy the branch-laden giant in its final Christmassy costume, when all the lights and decorations are good to go, at the Citadel Outlets Tree Lighting and Live Concert on Nov. 7.
Entry is free, and the festive fun kicks off at 5 in the evening.
The festive feel began early for this famous fir, thanks to the iconic individual who awoke in the middle of the night and flew to the City of Commerce from the North Pole to meet the merry symbol as it pulled into the shopping center.
Indeed, Santa Claus was on ho-ho-hand to say hello to the towering tree as it pulled into the shopping center. Next up? The huge red bow that tops the Citadel Outlets, another seasonal sight that is synonymous with traveling the 5 Freeway around the holidays.