California’s oldest Christmas light display lives on in Fresno.

FRESNO, Calif. — Before the Big Day in December, Santa can be found hanging out in what may be California’s most festive neighborhood.

Welcome to Christmas Tree Lane in Fresno.

Christmas Tree Lane embodies Christmas. People come down this lane and give so that this lane can stay lit. It is the most marvelous thing in the world. I have to come here,” said Santa.

For about three weeks in December, cars line up — sometimes backed up for hours — waiting their turn to roll through one of the oldest community-run lighting displays in the nation.

Dan Gallagher, a resident and the Christmas Tree Lane coordinator, says the neighborhood’s reputation stretches well beyond Fresno. “Our claim to fame is that we are the longest running and the longest in length Christmas tree lane in the country.”

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Christmas Tree Lane runs along a roughly 2-mile stretch of Van Ness Blvd., where about 140 homeowners work together to hang an uncountable number of twinkling lights. The lights stretch from treetops down to the blacktop, spanning just over 2 miles.

The work can be risky, Gallagher joked. “I tell my wife that this is the way I will die: falling off a ladder on Christmas Tree Lane. That will be my end.”

The neighborhood’s dedication to lighting the street dates back more than 100 years, though Gallagher said the tradition did not begin as a holiday celebration.

“It started with the death of a child back in 1920, and the family decorated their Deodar cedar tree, which was maybe four feet tall at the time,” Gallagher said. “Every year following, each of their neighbors, just kind of, to show their solidarity in memoriam, they each decorated their Deodar cedar or Christmas tree.”

Deodar cedars were planted along Van Ness Blvd. when the community was established. In the 1920s, the trees were small enough for homeowners to decorate on their own. Today, about 300 trees require professional setup, with lights plugged into overhead powerlines.

When asked about the cost, Gallagher said the power bill adds up. “You know, 3 to $4000 for a month of running the lights.”

Over the years, Christmas Tree Lane has gained national attention after being featured in magazines and television shows. Today, more than 100,000 people visit each year. Despite the crowds, the community does not charge admission.

Many visitors assume the display is run by the city or county, Gallagher said, but that’s not the case. 

“So many people just assume that something like this must be put on by the county, by the city, and it just isn’t,” he said. “It’s, you know, four or five folks who are dedicated and, you know, working.”

Gallagher said he remembers riding through Christmas Tree Lane as a child with his parents. Now, as a resident, he understands why the tradition has lasted for more than a century.

For him, the payoff comes from the sounds drifting through the neighborhood each night. “For me, I can hear the people, especially the kids, screaming from their car, ‘look,’” Gallagher said. “They see something that they love. They’re laughing, the Christmas music playing. That just warms your heart. And you’ve done all this work hoping to make something that people enjoy. And when you see it and hear it, it’s a payoff.”

Visitors who come through the lane and feel generous are encouraged to leave a donation to help keep the lights on.

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