'Tis the season for all of the lights, fancy decorations on trees, themed-trees, family heirloom ornaments (like pickles... seriously) and meaningful old ones the kids made -- and we have no idea how they didn't end up broken. Let's not forget, keeping real trees from drying out and being surprised at how much Bronner's annual electric bill costs.

Is there really an 18-foot, live poinsettia tree in MIchigan?

  • For all of the work we put into our individual styles for Christmas, there isn't anyone working harder to keep a tree alive than the staff at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. Not kidding -- and no, they're not paying me for this. They build an 18' living poinsettia tree, ever single year.

How many poinsettias make up Soaring Eagle's 18' living tree?

  • To fill the giant wire frame that makes up the tree, around 330 plants are placed (depending on size) each year. Red poinsettias for the "tree" portion and white poinsettias for the "topper" portion. Take a look at a "walk-up" video to see how enormous it really is:

How long does it take to water the 18' live poinsettia tree at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort?

  • Here's where caring for this enormous beauty gets difficult... or tedious? It takes a giant ladder and one person between six and eight hours, ever two days. The plants must be individually watered. That means, carefully moving leaves around to find the base of each plant.

Has Soaring Eagle always had a giant living poinsettia tree?

  • According to the information they shared on Facebook this year, it's been a tradition for over 20 years. A beautiful, time-consuming tradition enjoyed by thousands each season.
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So, the next time you step on dried out pine needles or curse removing tinsel from your tree -- remember, you didn't have to spend nearly 200 hours watering a horticultural (plant) phenomenon in Mount Pleasant, MI.

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