Michigan high school choir belts out holiday tunes from a towering Christmas tree

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A Michigan high school choir performs its annual holiday concert not near a Christmas tree, but in it. The Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree is in its 40th year (AP video: Mike Householder)

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High school students sing while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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Makenzie Aney, a choir member who is this year’s “Tree Angel” sings with other students, standing in a 67-foot-tall structure, as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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A volunteer assists students as they exit a 67-foot-tall structure following the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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From left, students Selah Bradfield, Lorelei Lucas and Skylar Hunt sing while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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Choir member Makenzie Aney sings during the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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From left, students Lorelei Lucas and Skylar Hunt pose for a photo while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure following the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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The innards of a 67-foot-tall structure as seen before a performance of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan community is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its beloved singing Christmas tree.

The Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree, which features a 180-student high school choir and stands 15 rows tall, belted out 19 holiday tunes at a Muskegon theater this week and was set to perform two more shows on Saturday. The 67-foot-tall (20-meter-tall) tree is adorned with 25,000 LED lights and loads of greenery.

“The Singing Christmas Tree is 100% a spectacle,” said Shawn Lawton, who has directed the Mona Shores High School Choir and overseen the annual show for three decades.

The towering tree-shaped structure has a hierarchy, with freshmen near the bottom, sophomores and juniors in the middle and seniors above them.

The very top, just underneath the star, typically is reserved for the “tree angel,” a student chosen by Lawton who “is not your top singer” but has “all the heart.”

This year’s pick 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 real happy and excited and joyful,” Aney said of being selected this year’s tree angel.

Aney and her fellow singers aren’t alone as they run through “Hark! 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 makes sure all goes smoothly, both on the ground and in the tree.

The Singing Christmas Tree has been a holiday must-see for area residents for many years. But it increasingly draws fans from other states and even countries, with videos of past performances viewable online.

“It’s become a bucket list item for a lot of people,” said Lawton, who is marking his final holiday season in charge of the performance.

The 58-year-old is retiring at the end of the school year. His successor is Brendan Closz, a Mona Shores graduate who sang in the tree, as did his three brothers, and is co-directing the choir this year to help ease the transition.

“Being a part of (the show) has been such a reward,” Lawton said. “And I am going to really miss that.”