Last Christmas we visited Chandler, AZ to see their unusual tree made with 2000 tumbleweeds. It’s been a tradition since 1957 to make the most of their dry climate by creating an arid desert Tannenbaum. Every September, city workers begin collecting the tumbleweeds (which are actually dried Russian thistle bushes). They are placed together on a wire frame, sprayed with 25 gallons of paint and 65 pounds of glitter, and then strung with lights.