TROUP, Texas — It may not feel like winter yet, but a small East Texas town is already getting into the holiday spirit with a 30-foot Christmas tree.
With a population of just under 2,000 people, the city of Troup is ready to make a big statement this holiday season with their new Christmas tree.
This is something residents have been looking forward to for some time. Longtime resident Cindy Steele has lived in Troup for 61 years and she's excited for the upgrade.
"Bless its heart, it did its duty but it’s had to be re-tied, re-wired, re-stand up, pried, just whatever," Steele said. "So this is a very nice tree for Troup Texas."
Executive director for the Troup Community Development Corporation, Suzanne Loudamy said she spent a lot of time picking the perfect tree for the town.
"The tree itself is 26 feet tall, it has 91 red bows on it, and the lights there are 2,100 warm white lights, the star on top is 3 feet tall. So in all, we’ve got about 30 feet of tree and star," Loudamy said.
But if you want to see it light up the downtown area, you’ll have to wait a few more days. The city is holding its inaugural tree lighting Mon., Nov. 13 at their 'Holiday in the Country' event. They encourage the community to celebrate the holiday season and enjoy the new tree.
"On Monday at 6 o’clock we’re gonna have its inaugural tree lighting," Loudamy said. "So after that, the tree will be on every night until after Christmas. So if you come by, come by a little after dark and it is beautiful! We plugged it in the first night just to make sure everything was burning, and you can see it from the other side of the railroad tracks and all the way down to 135."
Residents are excited for the new Christmas Tree and many have been waiting a long time for a tree this size in downtown Troup.
"My whole life! I love Christmas!," Steele said.