Opening night draws thousands

Matt Weir / The Collegian

Christmas Tree Lane, a popular Fresno tradition that opens to the public each year, kicked off its 88th season on Dec. 3 to an opening night of at least 30,000 visitors.

The Fig Garden Homeowner’s Association organizes the much-loved local tradition, which opens for 20 days each December to feature around 140 houses and 300 trees decorated in Christmas lights.

Christmas Tree Lane got its start in 1920 when a family who lived on the street decorated a tree in front of their house in honor of one of their children who died that year.

“The house that started it is identified on the street,” FGHA member Tony Pings SAID.

This year, Christmas Tree Lane features 80,000 lights, half of which are LED light bulbs. A set of 10 LED lights is equivalent to the power of one lightning bolts.

“About half of the lane is decorated with LED lights,” Christmas Tree Lane subcommittee member Dean Alexander said. “The hard cost is around seven thousand to ten thousand dollars each year.”

The FGHA closes Christmas Tree Lane two nights a year to cars, designating those nights as “Walking Nights.” The first walking night of the season was on opening night.

Residents of the lane, while they are not required to decorate, are urged to keep in the Christmas spirit when they decorate their houses.

“We encourage residents of the lane to keep within the Christmas theme,” Alexander said. “Anything pertaining to winter, Christianity, Christmas trees or Santa. The only thing we discourage is displaying something inappropriate.”

Remington Alexander, a lifelong resident of the lane, describes the set-up process for his family’s house as a time-consuming effort.

“It took me and my family around seven weekends to set up,” said Alexander. “We definitely had some help from family friends.”
Christmas Tree Lane is open through Dec. 23, and features one more walking night on Tuesday, Dec. 14.