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Las Vegas buffet’s giant hot-air balloon is a sweet decoration

The most impressive thing in The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas these days isn’t even edible.

Well, technically it is, since it’s made of sugar, fondant and chocolate. But we have a sneaking suspicion that nibbling would be strongly discouraged in that establishment.

The model hot-air balloon in The Buffet stands 10 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. The creation of resort cake artist Flora Aghababyan, it took 200 hours to construct. The star of the show is Santa, and in this case he doesn’t need a sleigh. Santa’s packed all manner of wrapped gifts (mostly toys, we bet) in his balloon’s holly-bedecked, woven-basket gondola and is landing in a rainforest of magical mushrooms and troll-scaled trees and plants. Santa’s elves are helping with the landing, which may be a slightly rough one, judging from the elf dangling from his rope.

It’ll be on display through Jan. 2.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.

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