I’m not an old-timey Christmas song fan — my holiday musical preference leans more Mariah Carey— but Perry Como’s been on my mind:
“Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.”
The fire struck as we were still basking in the festive afterglow of the holiday season. None of us in the Eaton Fire zone will ever be able to think of the holidays again without the fire in mind— and certainly every fire survivor pines for that pre-fire sense of home during what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. I’m always struck by how frozen in time the still-standing areas of the Eaton Fire are. Abandoned shops are still decked out in Christmas decor. Homes undergoing remediation have long-dried out pine trees sitting out front, awaiting disposal. My brain sometimes still thinks it is January. Time stopped. Yet somehow the holiday season is here again. But for too many, the joy of the season seems elusive.
The Eaton Fire zone is home to two of the Los Angeles area’s most famously festive neighborhoods, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane and Pasadena’s Upper Hastings Ranch. Each has delighted hundreds of thousands of holiday revelers across multiple generations and gained international acclaim and historic recognition through the wondrously illuminated displays of Christmas Tree Lane and the Upper Hastings Ranch Holiday Light Up. For many fire survivors and other Angelenos, these were the last photos they took on their phones before the fire.
With the winter holiday season so central to local identity, many have wondered how to support the Eaton Fire community as these traditions are rebuilt. I want to highlight three opportunities that directly support individual fire survivor families in restoring traditions and celebrating with the broader community.
In one of my local mom groups, the topic that inevitably turns into tears is Christmas decorations. For mothers, the ornaments that adorn our Christmas trees are deeply personal. Every mom’s Christmas tree ornament collection tells the unique story of our lives and they’re often the most irreplaceable and dearest mementos— children’s handprints, baby booties, tiny framed ultrasound photos, school crafts, symbols of vacations, etc. The Christmas tree is a centerpiece of family, and contending with this loss has felt acutely painful for many moms, including Ana Medina-Whirledge, Emily Viglietta, and Lauren Wax, who decided to organize an ornament drive for fire survivors.
As word has spread, Christmas ornaments as well as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa holiday items have been arriving from all over the country. Ornaments, stars, menorahs, and kinaras that are received will be displayed and distributed to fire survivors at the Winter Bloom Market and Gathering at Odyssey Charter School on November 29 and 30 and the Plant Material Holiday Market on December 13 and 14.
Officially recognized as a California State Historic Landmark, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane is “the oldest large-scale outdoor Christmas lighting display in the United States and a beloved part of Altadena’s identity.” It was a featured spot on Lotus Rising LA’s recent Altadena Community Bike Ride. Since 1920, the one mile stretch along Santa Rosa Avenue has only gone dark three times: during World War II, 1958, and 1974. This year will not be such an occasion.
The 105th tree lighting ceremony for Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane will be Saturday, December 6 at 6pm. More than 10,000 lights are being strung by more than 100 members of the all-volunteer Christmas Tree Lane Association. Many outside Altadena have been shocked to learn that unlike non-native tree species, every single one of the 135 massive deodar cedar trees planted in 1885 along the lane survived the fire (minus a few wind-damaged branches).
For six weeks after the fire, volunteers carefully removed the strings of lights that had been wind-whipped deep into the branches, and were shocked to find only minimal breakage on several strings. Continuing the confoundingly good fortune, almost all of the Christmas Tree Lane Association’s tools and supplies also survived the fire. Disbelief made way for determination as volunteers, many of whom lost everything, committed to ensuring the 105 year old tradition would still continue.
“This year is about more than just tradition,” said the Christmas Tree Lane Association. “It’s about resilience, unity, and hope.” Volunteers have been working for hours each weekend morning since September and expect to complete their work by the week before the annual lighting ceremony. With many long-time volunteers remaining displaced, volunteer applications are still open to help ensure that this year’s light display is the most impactful yet.
Upper Hastings Ranch Holiday Light Up
On December 6 at 6pm, Upper Hastings Ranch will shine brightly again. This 74th year of the Upper Hastings Ranch Holiday Light-Up is its most difficult yet, but as the Upper Hastings Ranch Association said, “our lights mean more than ever.”
The small Pasadena neighborhood adjacent to Sierra Madre is nationally recognized for its annual elaborate Christmas light and decoration displays. Each home is individually decorated with some so elaborately themed they are often featured in lists of California’s best holiday attractions. One home, the Harbeck house, was even the winner of ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” For many Angelenos, spending a night driving or walking through the Holiday Light Up with hot cocoa in hand is an annual tradition, which will continue despite 80 destroyed homes not being able to participate.
Those homes will be honored by a special solar star parkway, assembled by volunteers. “When we light up this holiday season, the illumination from the stars will be more than just decoration...it will be a unified symbol of support, hope, and resilience in our cherished neighborhood,” said the Upper Hastings Ranch Association. “Together, we can ensure that even where homes once stood, the brilliance of their light will never be diminished.”
LuAnn Haslam is additionally making angel decorations to represent her street’s missing residents. “All of our wonderful neighbors are spread throughout Southern California,” lamented LuAnn, “but making new angels for our parkway decorations has in a small way helped us to feel a part of creating something for all of us that brings hope for the future.” For LuAnn, the Holiday Light Up is a tradition that goes back to her childhood, and one that is extremely important to preserve with her eight foot tall angels. “For us it is a way to let our neighbors know we care about them and miss them terribly,” said LuAnn.
On the Holiday Light-Up’s opening day, Saturday, December 6 from 6-8 pm, Santa will join the heroes of Pasadena Fire Department Station 37 and make stops at Don Benito School, Riviera, and Hamilton Park.
“Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.”
