Bellagio Las Vegas' Giant Christmas Chocolate House

The Christmas spirit has arrived at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, with several magnificent holiday installments transforming the area to a real winter wonderland. Presented by Bellagio's Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the holiday exhibit include the Vegas Strip's largest indoor holiday tree, live seasonal music, a family of topiary polar bears, and, yes, a life-size chocolate house.

The centerpiece of the show, Vegas' largest indoor holiday tree, is a 42-foot tall, 18-foot wide, and 6,800-pound regal White Fir hand-picked from Mt. Shasta, Calif. The extravagant tree holds 7,000 LED lights and 2,500 colorful ornaments. 

New this year is a walk-through snow globe, guarded by four grand toy soldiers, as well as life-size reindeers. But the most exciting part — especially for any chocolate fan — might be the full-scale chocolate house created by Bellagio's pastry team, made of 1,600 pounds of chocolate.

Located adjacent to the Conservatory is also Jean Philippe Pâtisserie's traditional chocolate Mr. Grinch, which is an impressive 5-foot, 6-inches tall and was hand-carved from 112 pounds of sugar-rolling fondant and 50 pounds of chocolate (over a three-month period).

In an effort to build awareness about the cherished and endangered polar bear, Bellagio has partnered with Coca-Cola to promote the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) during this year's exhibit. Coca-Cola is involved in the ongoing sustainability initiative to generate money for WWF with the goal of creating a safe haven for polar bears. With the help of generous donors, more than $3.1 million has been donated to WWF. To help continue these efforts, Coca-Cola will match up to $1 million for donations made to ArcticHome.com through Feb. 15, 2014. 

The Conservatory is complimentary to the public, open 24 hours a day, and  the holiday exhibit will be on display through Jan. 5, 2014.

For more holiday cheer, visit The Daily Meal's Ultimate Guide to Christmas!