O CHRISTMAS TREE
Christmas Tree Lane in Fresno is a century-old Central Valley tradition. During the month of December, North Van Ness Boulevard in the Old Fig Garden neighborhood is transformed by holiday cheer. The nearly 2-mile stretch is converted into a one-way lane lined with approximately 300 deodar cedars. Each tree is draped in glimmering lights, and the houses along the street are all decked out. But what makes this holiday institution so enchanting is the enduring spirit of Christmas that has been upheld for generations.
It all began with a single tree. In 1920, one tree was decorated in front of a home located at Pontiac Way and Van Ness to honor a child who had died there. Each year, more and more neighbors joined in the tradition of decorating the deodars that line the street, and Christmas Tree Lane was born. Since its inception, there have been two years where the Lane went dark. Due to wartime restrictions, there were no lights in 1941. During the 1973 energy crisis, the Lane was once again left unlit to conserve energy. Thus, 2022 marks 100 years of holiday lights for Christmas Tree Lane.
Today, Christmas Tree Lane runs from Shields to Shaw Avenues, but it wasn’t always that way. It was previously only in the county island that encompasses much of Old Fig, “Which was pretty much starting from the Herndon Canal going northward,” explains Dean Alexander, Chairman of Christmas Tree Lane. In the 1990s, Terry Cole, past Chairman of Christmas Tree Lane, suggested expanding the Lane into the city, starting at Shields and going under the railroad tracks. Since then, carloads of visitors have formed a line along Shields, though the carline often wraps around from Blackstone Avenue to the east.
Orchestrating the world’s longest Christmas street is a team effort that pulls from a handful of sources. “It’s sponsor-run by the Fig Garden Homeowners Association,” Dean explains. “They put on the event, and they have the Christmas Tree Lane Committee underneath them,” which handles all of the organization and footwork required to get the Lane running. “Law enforcement plays a big part in traffic control.” The Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff, and California Highway Patrol provide the essential service of keeping traffic moving safely and smoothly.
Preparations begin in September. “It takes about 3 months to put it up,” Dean clarifies, and another 1.5 to 2 months to take everything down. Electrician Shawn Caglia is in charge of the lighting. “We have eight electric panels to turn the lights on … Then the homeowners do their own decorations, and they start pretty much after Halloween.” Dean’s home is the grand finale at the end of the Lane, which includes approximately 300,000 lights. For him alone, “It takes me seven weekends to get my decorations in place.” For nearly 20 years, local high schools have been asked to decorate 4’ × 8’ panels with holiday displays, which now fill the “dark spaces” of the Lane.
The sound of holiday spirit rings along Christmas Tree Lane, too. “We’re able to get a low frequency radio channel that is actually done by Fig Garden Police Protection District,” reveals Dean. “They allow us to use that during Christmas to display Christmas music and 92.5 is the FM radio channel.” So, tune in on your dash radio to synchronize with the music being broadcasted from speakers along the Lane.
Christmas Tree Lane is not-for-profit whatsoever. Dean states, “It’s strictly done by donations—having this money from donations to do it the following year.” Around four donation booths are set up along the Lane on Walk-Only Nights. But for every other night, one donation booth is located at the north end just before Rialto Avenue—cars may make voluntary donations as they drive through. “Any money helps to put it on for the following year,” says Dean.
The single greatest Lane expenditure is the labor of hiring an electrician to maintain and install the lights. Because of normal wear and tear, some lights and wiring have to be replaced or redone annually. “PG&E power is up there, but it’s only a fraction of the cost.” Residents aren’t repaid for their own display expenses. “We provide cones, barricades, and anything that the police department needs for traffic control. It’s just very expensive to actually put this event on,” discloses Dean. “It’s typically around $100,000.”
Christmas Tree Lane has garnered much national attention in recent years. In 2007, the Lane was featured in Sunset magazine. In 2010, Dean Alexander and his family appeared on TLC’s holiday show Invasion of the Christmas Lights. Just four years later, the Alexander family won The Great Christmas Light Fight on ABC—their $50,000 prize was donated to help keep Christmas Tree Lane shining bright.
As large as the Lane has become, its organizers vehemently work to keep it non-commercial because “It’s what Christmas is supposed to be. We try to keep it free of commercialism,” Dean proudly asserts. “We try to keep the vendors off the Lane. We really wanted people to go down and enjoy a homegrown, local event and not be commercialized.” Families come from not only Fresno, but from all over the Valley to see Christmas Tree Lane. “It’s grown to its capacity, to tell you the truth,” Dean admits.
Christmas Tree Lane dons 2,500,000 lights in front of 140 houses and attracts over 342,600 visitors annually. Each night, Lane Keepers are responsible for turning the lights on and off. Organized by Lauri Leone, Christmas Tree Lane’s Lane Keeper Coordinator, this select group are usually neighborhood homeowners who also ensure that the scheduled donation booth volunteers show up every night. That’s the human aspect that no technology can replace. “We try to keep it updated as much as possible, but it’s still gonna be people driving down the Lane enjoying the spirit of Christmas—that’s what we want to keep.”
Usually, Christmas Tree Lane kicks off with one of two Walk-Only Nights with 30,000 to 40,000 visitors present, but they have been paused since 2020 until CDC recommendations allow them to resume. “As soon as they lift those requirements, and hopefully COVID will go away by the end of next year, we will have it,” Dean optimistically says. Until then, visitors can still walk down the Lane while cars pass by. For more information, check out www.christmastreelane.com, and be sure to visit Christmas Tree Lane before the lights are turned off for the season this Christmas Day.
Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographer Madison Weber
