A western Michigan community is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its beloved singing Christmas tree.
The Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree, with a high school choir of 180 students and 15 rows high, performed 19 holiday tunes this week at a Muskegon theater and was scheduled to perform two more shows Saturday. The 20-meter-high tree is decorated with 25,000 LED lights and lots of greenery.
“The Singing Christmas Tree is 100% a spectacle,” said Shawn Lawton, who directs the Mona Shores High School Choir and has overseen the annual show for three decades.
The towering tree-shaped structure has a hierarchy, with freshmen at the bottom, sophomores and juniors in the middle, and seniors above.
The very top, just below the star, is usually reserved for the “tree angel,” a student chosen by Lawton who is “not your top singer” but has “all the heart.”
This year’s choice is senior Makenzie Aney, who uses a wheelchair and performs at the base of the tree, close to the front of the stage.
“It makes me very happy, excited and joyful,” Aney said of the choice for this year’s tree angel.
Aney and her fellow singers are not alone when they shout ‘Hark! Review The Herald Angels Sing,” “Noel” and other holiday favorites. A 50-member Mona Shores High student orchestra surrounds the tree, and a small army of parents and other volunteers ensure everything runs smoothly, both on the ground and in the tree.
The Singing Christmas Tree has been a must-see for area residents for years. But it is increasingly attracting fans from other states and even countries, with videos of past performances available to watch online.
“It’s become a bucket list item for a lot of people,” said Lawton, who is marking his final holiday season and is responsible for the performance.
The 58-year-old will retire at the end of the school year. His successor is Brendan Closz, a Mona Shores graduate who, like his three brothers, sang in the tree and is co-director of the choir this year to help ease the transition.
“Being part of (the show) has been such a reward,” Lawton said. “And I’m really going to miss that.”
