Lighting up the season

NEWPORT BEACH — Claire Guetig may not have comprehended much about the festivity at Fashion Island Friday, but she appeared to enjoy it.

The 10-month-old Long Beach resident attended the annual lighting of Fashion Island’s holiday tree on the arm of her father, Kevin Guetig, who brought his family to the ceremony for the first time Friday. Shortly after 6 p.m., the towering white fir glowed with lights — a few thousand, at least — and bathed the dark courtyard by Bloomingdale’s in a multitude of colors.

“This is our daughter’s first one, so it’s pretty exciting,” Guetig said as he and his family headed off to dinner. “I think she started clapping her hands.”

The ceremony Friday marked Fashion Island’s first tree lighting of the year; another one is set to follow at 6 p.m. tonight. The mall used to do only one lighting, but expanded to two a few years ago when the crowds got too big to fit on a single night.

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach and his chief of staff, Mario Mainero, started the proceedings Friday by giving the Irvine Co. a proclamation in honor of Fashion Island’s 40th anniversary. Keith Eyrich, the company’s president of retail properties, accepted the proclamation and made a short speech.

“Many of our guests grew up watching this event, and now they bring their children here to see it,” he said.

Fashion Island hoisted up the 115-foot white fir tree shortly after dawn on Nov. 1, as the tree arrived by flatbed truck from Mt. Shasta in Northern California. The mall bills its annual tree as the tallest in the nation. Vito Serrao, the owner of Victor’s Custom Christmas Trees, said he had struck a deal with the Irvine Co. more than two decades ago to provide them with his largest specimen each year.

By the time technicians flipped the switches Friday, the 20,000-pound tree featured about 17,000 lights, ornaments and bows. Dozens of spectators gathered around the tree to snap pictures on their cell phones.

“It’s a nice way to kick off the holidays,” Orange resident Lenora Schroeder said. “It puts you in the holiday spirit. Gets rid of the bah, humbugs.”

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].