Christmas in Cayman is always a special time of year, with many time-honoured traditions and festivities. Two much-anticipated holiday happenings are the lighting of the spectacular Christmas tree in Camana Bay and the Enchanted Christmas Store by Celebrations.
Before spreading holiday cheer, a great deal of planning and preparation goes on behind the scenes to bring these much-loved seasonal attractions to life.
Camana Bay Christmas Tree
It stands nearly 40 feet tall, with more than 50,000 sparkling LED lights, and around 4,000 larger-than-life decorations, including a 4-foot star topping the tree.
The Christmas tree at Camana Bay towers majestically over the harbour on The Crescent, helping make spirits merry and bright.
Behind the holiday magic is a team of elves from AI Rentals. It takes eight days to set it up, with between four and six elves working steadily to create the holiday centrepiece. The 24X24-foot stage on which the tree sits, takes a day to build and then another day to surround it with custom-built cladding to ensure it is safe for all to enjoy.
The tree frame itself requires four to six people to put it up. It is then anchored to a central point on the ground to make sure it can withstand any storms throughout the season. This takes one day.
A team of eight people spend two days fluffing out the branches and mounting them on the tree.
Decorating the tree takes two to three days, with a ground crew of four to six people, and a lift crew of two.
Each year, Camana Bay stages an elaborate tree-lighting celebration, although the pandemic meant cancelling this event in 2020 – and again this year – due to COVID-19 restrictions. But the tree, which was lit up 20 Nov., will remain aglow throughout the holiday season.
The first tree-lighting celebration was held in December 2007. The tree was located on The Paseo, near the cinema, with Santa’s elves serving cookies and milk, and handing out carol sheets for a sing-along. The Cayman National Choir performed Christmas carols to a crowd of around 100 spectators.
The event has evolved over the years, with the tree moving to The Crescent in 2009, with the largest tree-lighting ceremony welcoming around 5,000 visitors. It featured performances by more than 20 choir and dance groups, winding up with spectacular fireworks.
After the holiday season, it takes around two to three days to disassemble the tree, which then goes into climate-controlled storage to soothe the sunburn from the hot Christmas sun.
Christmas at Celebrations
Christmas comes early at Celebrations, welcoming visitors each year to its Enchanted Christmas Store with a dazzling open house, unveiling what’s in store for the holidays.
There’s a magical Christmas feeling as soon as you walk in the door. Beautifully decorated Christmas trees, well-laid-out displays and unique ornaments and gifts transport everyone to this most wonderful time of the year.
Planning starts well in advance – in January. That includes sourcing and purchasing the entire Christmas collection, along with the creation of holiday themes designed to delight and inspire.
CEO and creative Director Jo-Anne Brown spearheads the Enchanted Christmas Store, researching what is trending each year and coming up with unique décor and holiday themes.
A team of around 25 people are involved in setting up the store, which is housed in a 2,500-square-foot building located at 64 Kingbird Drive in Industrial Park, the home of Celebrations.
This long-time holiday tradition dates to 1993, when Celebrations opened its first Christmas store in a small unit at the Mirco Centre. Jo-Anne has created themes every year since then and is hands-on in curating the sparkling holiday collection.
Themes span from traditional to whimsical to contemporary. There are eight themes this year, ranging from Botanica and Pink Champagne to Seascape Blues and Snowy Holiday.
The Enchanted Christmas Store features new and exclusive collections each year, making it a highly anticipated holiday happening for those looking for ideas and inspiration.
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