Tonight is the night for the Traverse City Light Parade and tree lighting celebration in downtown Traverse City, which means the holiday season is officially upon us. To commemorate the occasion, The Ticker checks in with leaders from Team Elmer’s and the City of Traverse City to learn all about this year’s tree – from its near-unprecedented size to all the behind-the-scenes work that brings this holiday tradition to life.

According to Tonya Wildfong, communications and marketing director for Team Elmer’s, 2025 marks the 46th year the company has donated its services to place the Christmas tree (and Santa’s House) in their traditional downtown TC locations. The job involves significant coordination between Elmer’s, the city’s parks division, and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), with work reaching far outside of the holiday season.

“Tree selection pretty much goes year-round,” says Parks Division Supervisor Matt Bright. “I take calls and visit sites no matter the season, and choose the tree based on a few different factors. First and foremost, are there any trees available for donation? Sometimes, we have many options; sometimes it's a struggle to find one. I try to get a list going for future trees, if the donors are willing to wait. Secondly, the tree has to be the correct size. I would like it to be 30-plus feet tall, but not too tall to where it would become unstable or difficult to manage. Over 50 feet is getting too tall!”

One change locals may notice this year? The tree is so big that vehicles can't get by.

“This year's tree is very wide, so we've decided to close the block to avoid any excessive trimming or safety hazards with vehicles and pedestrians,” Bright says. According to a city press release, Cass will be closed “between East Front Street and the alley north of East Front Street…until the week of December 29, weather permitting.”

“This tree was one of the largest in recent history, at 45 feet tall and weighing 3,800 pounds,” says Kent Megill, cranes and rigging manager for Team Elmer’s. Crane operator Rod Keillor noticed. This year marked his fifth time at the controls during the setting of the tree, and he tells The Ticker it’s the biggest one he’s dealt with so far.

While finding a tree with the right size and look is important, Bright has one other big priority.

“I like to choose a tree that is already being taken down due to disease, or due to threats to the homeowner's property,” says Bright, himself a certified arborist.

This year’s tree fit the bill: While healthy, the 30-year-old blue spruce had grown such that it was threatening a home’s foundation. The homeowners, Lori and Don Smart, contacted Team Elmer’s, and the rest was history. Earlier this week, Elmer’s used a crane capable of lifting 80 tons to remove the tree, get it on a truck, and transport it from the Smarts’ home on Cedar Run Road to downtown Traverse City. Once it’s fulfilled its Christmas destiny, the tree will be chipped and used to line local trails.

Unsurprisingly, transporting a 3,800-pound Christmas tree is no small task. According to Bright, “the cutting down, hauling, and placing of the tree will usually take 5-6 hours,” and requires crews from both Elmer’s and the City of Traverse City.

On the transportation side, Elmer’s used a semi with a 52-foot trailer to bring the tree from Cedar Run to downtown. Keillor says even getting the tree on the truck is a challenge, given the ample risks of damage during transit.

“We have to make sure the tree and branches are facing the correct way when we lay it down on the trailer, so that as it travels down the road, the branches won’t break,” Keillor explains. “Typically, there is one bad side on the tree – there are gaps in the branches or brown branches – and that’s the side we lay down on the trailer. Then, when we stand it up, the other three sides look good for display.”

The behind-the-scenes challenges don’t end when the tree gets downtown. Once the crane is in position, Megill says Elmer’s leans on City of Traverse City crews in a bucket truck “to sling the tree and attach it to the crane mast.” The tree is then held aloft while the city parks department does some final preparation work.

“The tree typically isn’t perfectly straight, so the city needs to custom-cut the trunk to fit in the dedicated six-foot-deep manhole space where the tree trunk rests,” Keillor says. “Shims are used to align the tree, and sand is placed in the manhole to keep it from shifting.”

As for decorations, Bright says it typically takes two parks employees working in a pair of bucket trucks 2-3 days to get all the lights on the tree. “That can be anywhere from 2,000-4,000 lights depending on the size of the tree,” he notes. This year’s massive spruce lands on the high end of that range.

Despite all the hurdles, the people who work to make the downtown tree display happen each year say it’s always a seasonal highlight.

“The tree means a lot to so many people,” Bright says. “For me, I remember it being a staple for Traverse City when I was a teenager, before I even worked for the city. Since then, I have taken both of my daughters to see it. They like telling their friends that their dad is a part of it – which makes them, and me, very proud.”

Details about the tree-lighting celebration can be found here.