On the evening of Saturday, December 12, Anthony Marnell III lit up “The Nation’s Tallest Christmas Tree” at the M Resort, Spa & Casino located at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and St. Rose Parkway. The 109-foot tall tree was grown in Oregon, weighs in at about 11 tons (22,000 pounds) and had been transported approximately 900 miles over highways closed for the occasion. Click here for photos of the arrival of the tree.

I was there last Saturday, along with maybe three thousand other people drawn by the tree, the free hot chocolate, music and a gingerbread house competition. The crowd was large for the M. It seemed to take 15 minutes to walk up and down the stairs, going to and from the pool area. It probably didn’t take that much time really, but the wait in the parking garage was at least that long afterward to drive back out. Usually, access to the parking garage is quick and easy.

The tree is visible for miles up Las Vegas Boulevard, and is an impressive sight. The lights on the tree looked like they were hung vertically in straight lines, making the tree look artificial, or like a rocket (or a pickle, as I heard someone in the crowd say). At night the lights hide the tree more than they illuminate it. Perhaps the tree needs some spotlights on it to show the branches after the sun goes down. However, these are small complaints, and I count myself lucky to be close enough to the M Resort to visit whenever I feel like it.

Although I didn’t sample the free hot chocolate, I did see the colorful display of gingerbread houses inside the M adjacent to the pool area. First place was awarded to Goynes Elementary for a heads-above-the-rest treehouse, and second place went to the Mark Fine Elementary School for a wintry scene complete with sled, snowman, pine trees, and a snow shovel.

Congratulations to the M Resort and everyone involved in making the Nation’s Tallest Christmas Tree lighting an event to remember.

Click on a picture below to view the gallery