Man behind the tiny defiant Christmas tree at the Alamo speaks out

Steve Monreal has been setting up miniature trees at downtown landmarks as a way of marking where the tree-lighting ceremony should have taken place if it had to be moved from Alamo Plaza. Steve Monreal has been setting up miniature trees at downtown landmarks as a way of marking where the tree-lighting ceremony should have taken place if it had to be moved from Alamo Plaza. Photo: Courtesy, Steve Monreal Photo: Courtesy, Steve Monreal Image 1 of / 110 Caption Close Man behind the tiny defiant Christmas tree at the Alamo speaks out 1 / 110 Back to Gallery

San Antonio's traditional Alamo Plaza tree-lighting ceremony will relocate families to Travis Park on Friday, but the cheer is continuing at the original spot -- thanks to a (now-not so) secret elf.

Over the weekend, locals and tourists seemed happy to spot an 18-inch tree standing small but proud in front of the Alamo. No one knew how the little tree got there, but they crouched beside it and posted photos on Facebook and Instagram.

And that elf -- he isn't done yet.

The tree stood in the exact spot a much bigger tree usually stands during the holiday season in Alamo Plaza. The decision to move the tree-lighting ceremony from the spot where it had taken place for 33 years drew plenty of criticism when it was announced this fall.

RELATED: S.A. takes to social media to criticize decision to relocate Alamo tree-lighting

MySA.com tracked down the sneaky elf himself, Steve Monreal. He told mySA that in addition to the Alamo Plaza tree, he's been setting up miniature trees at other downtown landmarks as a way of marking where the tree-lighting ceremony should have taken place if it had to be moved.

So far, he has set one up outside of San Fernando Cathedral and is planning surprise trees in Hemisfair Park and La Villita.

Monreal, who works at HardRock Cafe, said his day started off "weird" last week when an Eddie Van Halen guitar was stolen from the downtown restaurant. The funk continued when he walked through Alamo Plaza and saw the "bare" space where the tree usually stood, serving as a backdrop for family photos.

"It was a cold space. I thought, 'Man, I'm going to go get a little tree and put it in front of the Alamo,'" he said. "I just put it there to make a statement — it doesn't matter how big of a tree, people are going to stop because that's what they've been doing for 20 or 30 years."

And, they did. Locals and tourists shared family photos with the tree across social media.

"The People Have Spoken AND Acted, We WILL Have Our Tree In Front of The Alamo," Facebook user Steve Wagner said.

RELATED: Christmas tree delivered to Travis Park ahead of the holidays

Monreal says he set up the tree on Thursday and it remained there until Friday night.

Though the tree didn't last long, it left a lasting impression.

When Hard Rock Cafe patrons talked about their adventures as they refueled after a long day, they mentioned the "cute little tree" they saw at the Alamo, he said.

Assistant City Manager Lori Houston said H-E-B will continue to provide an 18-foot, decorated tree in Alamo Plaza, in addition to the one used for the lighting ceremony in Travis Park, so families will still be able to take their photos, but the ceremony will take place at Travis Park on Nov. 24.

"I just wanted to spread some sort of holiday spirit downtown," Monreal said. "I know people might steal them, but if that's the only tree they can get, so be it."

Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for MySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkye