SM Seaside unveils ‘tallest’ mall Christmas tree in VisMin

CEBU, Philippines - Company officials yesterday unveiled the 63-foot Christmas tree in SM Seaside City at the South Road Properties, the tallest inside a mall in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“SM officially kicks off the joyful season by lighting the tallest Christmas tree in all Visayas and Mindanao malls. It’s a start of a merry Christmas in SM Seaside City Cebu,” said Jocelyn Veloso, SM Visayas vice president for operations, in her opening remarks during the unveiling program.

Because it is made up of strips of glass stickers, has a plastic mesh at the background, and with hanging lights from the inside to provide the glitter, SM Prime Holdings vice president Marissa Fernan said “the modern Christmas tree fits to the modern mall we have.”

Fernan did not disclose the amount the mall has spent to put up the tree, but she said it is expensive.

“It’s quiet expensive. I think it’s the most expensive tree. To make it safe, we have to really reinforce metal and shape it. This took almost two weeks to set up. We started setting up since the Monday after the opening,” she said.

The mall, which boasts of a world-class architecture, opened to the public last November 27.

“People can go inside and have their photos taken. People might not be used to a tree like this (but hopefully) it’s something that will grow on you,” she said, adding that they are studying at the possibility of putting up a Christmas tree of the same height year after year inside the mall.

Fernan assured mallgoers, especially the families, that SM will provide more fun activities and sceneries inside the new mall as Christmas draws near. 

Meanwhile, the mall is eyeing to open its sky park in a week or two from now.

“With the opening of ‘Star Wars’ (movie), we will have a nice Star Wars display hopefully. There is something offered to me; hopefully we have the budget for it and we will also witness the opening of the sky park in another week or so. As of now, we are coming up with the rules on the use of the sky park,” Fernan said.

Also, she asked mallgoers to participate in their “SM Christmas Bears of Joy: Share a Bear and Make other Children Happy!”

A project of SM Cares, a division of SM Foundation and SM Prime Holdings Inc., together with Toy Kingdom, this offers an opportunity for every Filipino to give back and make the less fortunate children happy by buying two teddy bears for P200.

Fernan said the buyer would get one of the teddy bears while the other teddy bear will go to a child beneficiary of SM. This, she said, is available in all SM malls until December 31. — (FREEMAN)