The Sawgrass Marriott is a little bit brighter after the golf resort and spa held its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony Dec. 3.
The massive tree is a festive sight as it towers bringing holiday cheer to the hotel’s lobby.
According to Sawgrass Marriott marketing manager Elizabeth Feezor, the tree lighting has been open to the public and taking place for nearly a decade, which has allowed it to become a tradition that people look forward to each year.
Santa Claus made an appearance from his busy schedule to attend the tree lighting ceremony, which also included refreshments and holiday cookies.
“It’s just a nice way to kick off the season, and the locals know that we’re a hub for that,” Feezor said. “It’s nice and warm and welcoming, and our culinary team does a great job every year with our gingerbread village, which we have every year of some sort.”
The theme for this year’s gingerbread village was “Winter Wonderland,” and they did a hide-and-seek with a reindeer within the setup of the village.
That creativity shown by the culinary team, is just a sampling of the Christmas cheer that the resort hopes to share with those who visit during the holiday season.
Several children attended the event which gave it a family atmosphere. Those children were asked to come up next to the tree and clapped all together in order to help make the tree be lit and in full glow.
“People really love it, because it gives their families a chance to kind of come down from Thanksgiving and get ready for Christmas,” Feezor said.
A high number of the resort’s beach club and spa members come out to the ceremony each year. It usually follows the Sawgrass Marriott’s annual Spa-liday celebration, and that was the case this year as well.
“We try to make sure that we have enough holiday event lined up through the season to not overwhelm people, but also making sure that we’re keeping them busy,” Feezor chuckled.
The entertainment for this year’s tree lighting was provided by Elliott Dyson, who made the trip from Orlando to play the saxophone and offer a musical backdrop for the ceremony.
