Christmas Tree Lane, Upper Hastings Ranch Light Up, begin their holiday glow in fire-ravaged Altadena, Pasadena

Thousands of holiday lights shined anew in two beloved locations in Altadena and Pasadena on Saturday night, Dec. 6, re-establishing traditions that nearly a year ago were distant aspirations amid a catastrophe.

Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane and Upper Hastings Ranch’s Holiday Light Up illuminated for the first time after the Eaton fire, brought crowds and cheer to a region steeped in recovery and rebuilding.

Starting Saturday, more than 20,000 lights flickered back on along the trees lining nearly a mile of Santa Rosa Avenue, near the fire’s burn scar.

It was major moment in the recovery of the unincorporated town.

For much of its 105-year run, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane has gone dark only in moments of true crisis — during World War II and amid the 1970s energy crisis. After the Eaton Fire, organizers briefly debated whether this would be another such year.

A day of festivities began mid-afternoon at the corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street for a Winterfest: Arts & Crafts Festival. The ensuing holiday marketplace ran through 9 p.m. and included artisan and craft vendors, food trucks and holiday treats, live music, family activities, photos with Santa Claus and community booth and local nonprofits.

And, of course, there was the magnificent lighting ceremony, which brought the 105th annual Christmas Tree Lane Lighting Ceremony and Winterfest alive in the nighttime air.

Actor Edward James Olmos, the event’s master of ceremonies, said the event was a symbol of resilience and a kind of sharing at the core of the season’s spirit of giving.

“This is such an incredible opportunity of understanding and love …. “I can honestly tell you this is the most exquisite understanding of life that we could be doing at this time.”

Each December, the Lane is officially lit at the annual ceremony, on the first Saturday of the month. Thousands gather for music, food, performances, and a countdown that ends in a canopy of lights.

The tradition is said to be the oldest large-scale outdoor Christmas lights display in the country.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the unincorporated town on the Board of Supervisors, said this year’s Lighting Ceremony is “especially meaningful” following the devastation of the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 19 dead.

“The surviving historic deodar trees along Christmas Tree Lane serve as a symbol of hope, resilience, and community strength,” a statement read from her office.

The ceremony featured several new touches, including a moment of silence for the 19 Altadena residents who died in the disaster. Longtime volunteer families and survivors helped flip the switch alongside Barger, who led the countdown.

As the lights returned on Saturday, visitors may have noticed the display shining brighter than before. A donation from the Walt Disney Co., which employs many Altadena residents, funded thousands of additional lights for this year’s show.

In January, the Eaton fire began around the time volunteers typically take down the more than 10,000 lights from the previous year.

Christmas Tree Lane is designated a California State Historic Landmark and has been on the National Register of Historic Place since 1990. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the tradition, which dates back to 1920 when a department store owner organized a tree lighting to attract business.

Officials with the Christmas Tree Lane Association said that in the immediate aftermath of the Eaton fire, there was uncertainty about whether Christmas Tree Lane would be able to go forward in 2025. While trees on Santa Rosa Avenue survived the blaze and suffered some wind damage the community surrounding it was significantly impacted.

At the same time as the lights were switched on in Altadena, the city of Pasadena was celebrating at another beloved event:  The Upper Hastings Ranch’s Holiday Light Up.

While much focus has been on Altadena, the city of Pasadena was also hit hard by the southern reaches of the Eaton fire, including in the city’s Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood.

Upper Hastings Ranch represented the majority of the Eaton fire’s impact on Pasadena. Charred remnants of holiday lights and decorations remained on several properties that were destroyed.

More than 80 homes in the San Gabriel Valley neighborhood were lost in the January inferno.

Neighbors gathered at Hamilton Park in the Pasadena neighborhood on Saturday and Sunday to make handmade light-up stars, in hopes of shining a light on Eaton fire victims in the area.

Like Christmas Tree Lane, the light up tradition goes back decades when a group of neighbors displayed an assortment of candles in front of their homes for the holidays. This year, hand-decorated stars will shine over the properties lost to the fire starting Saturday and every night through Dec. 31.

Decorations set up in the neighborhoods north of Sierra Madre Boulevard and Hastings Ranch Drive will be illuminated each night starting at 6 p.m. Saturday night until the end of the year.