It seemed as if that holiday season had only begun when the good cheer began to splinter off in a competition for "The World's Tallest Christmas Tree." While Rockefeller Center in New York was raising its annual prestigious Spruce, Miami was out to cut it down to size.



The Christmas tree in Miami's Bayfront Park has New York's beat by 34 feet. It is a towering 110-foot Norway Spruce decorated in 40,000 lights.

While Miami may not conjure thoughts of a winter wonderland, Mayor Manny Diaz said, "It's great people will be looking at the tree in their bathing suits."

The city insisted it was not trying to compete with New York. However, they did point out that the company that supplied the tree certified it as "The Tallest Christmas Tree in America."

This is the second year in a row that Florida has claimed to have the biggest Christmas tree. In 2001 Cypress Gardens measured in with a 110-foot tree draped in 25,000 lights.

World's Tallest Christmas Tree
Bayfront Park
301 North Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL