“Walking in a Winter Wonderland” and “Let it Snow ” are not usually the songs people think of when it comes to Christmas time in Fresno, CA. In other words, the tempature changes unpredictably. It can rain a gratuitous amount on one day and then be completely dry and sunny on the next.
Despite the weather patterns, Fresno natives have still found a way to spread Christmas cheer and holiday spirit in the form of Christmas Tree Lane and Wawona Ranch Estates, Clovis.
The homes that participate in Christmas Tree Lane, located in Fresno’s Old Fig Garden neighborhood on Van Ness Avenue from Shields to Shaw avenues, began a tradition of decorating their block of the neighborhood in 1920, when a single tree was enriched with lights after the death of a child on the corner of Van Ness Boulevard and Pontiac Avenue.
Since then, each holiday season has brought more and more decorations to the homes until, 87 years later, Christmas Tree Lane is where it is today. Organizers also plan “walk only” nights when Van Ness Blvd. is closed to traffic. This year the lane was open only to pedestrians, Dec. 5 and Dec. 15, from 6-10 p.m. The walking event attracts over 60,000 people over the 2-day event and over 45,000 cars.
The walking date change from year to year so check the Christmas Tree Lane Web site for future dates and information.
Raine Hayes, ’12, who lives on the lane, continues the tradition by decorating her house every year. Although the lane brings hundreds of people to her home every day in December, Hayes does not mind the attention her house receives.
“It’s fun living on Christmas Tree Lane because you get to see tons of people decorate for Christmas,” Hayes said. “It’s nice when people come down the lane and comment about how nice your house looks.”
The lane is comprised of many attractions, whether it be Santa Claus handing out candy canes or giant plywood cutouts of Christmas characters. University High student Harry McComb, ’12, was out on the lane twice this year while playing his saxophone as part of an attraction.
“At first it was fun being able to perform on the lane while people passed,” McComb said. “But after a while it gets really boring because you’re essentially doing the same thing over and over again. It also gets really cold as the night progresses, which makes playing really hard to do.”
Certain individuals, like Nacoya Villegas, ’10, decided to go to Christmas Tree Lane competitor Wawona Ranch Estates, located near Alluvial and Cindy avenues in Clovis. Villegas feels that Wawona Ranch Estates better inpires joy and Christmas spirit.
“Christmas Tree Lane has been in Fresno for a long time and I’ve seen it a lot of times,” Villegas said. “It just gets boring after a while.”
In what is informally known as Cindy Lane, part of the Wawona Ranch Estates in Clovis, was started by a family on Athens Ave., near Cindy Ave., is just East of Willow Ave. The practice was expanded with homes along Cromwell, Decatur and Bedford and a Clovis tradition was born.
Whole yard decorations began in 1993 and has grown in both lit brilliance and participation since the late 1990s. It has been featured in The Fresno Bee numerous times as a holiday tradition complete with Clydesdale horse drawn carriages, tour buses and holiday walkers. Often, closer to Christmas, the traffic on the four streets can be bumper to bumper.
Some people chose not to go anywhere this holiday season. Tyler Hensley, ’13, did not go because he figured he was too busy to visit either attraction.
“I was too busy doing stuff that I wanted to do to go anywhere,” Hensley said. “I usually spend my weekend dirt bike racing, which takes up a lot of time, so I didn’t go.”
Christmas Tree Lane will be open until Dec. 26, available from 6-10 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 6-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Cindy Lane has less formal times. However, most homes and yards are lit by 5:45 p.m. and go dim by 9:30 p.m. on weekdays. However, weekend hours are extended to 10 p.m. with many still on until 11 p.m. near Christmas.
A word of caution to those who walk and drive both lanes. Be aware of those who walk and vehicles whose operators often dim their lights so as to enjoy the lit homes and properties.
For more information, visit the Dec. 7, 2008, article, Christmas Tree Lane illuminates holiday season.
