Christmas Tree Lane

Made the trek from SF to Christmas Tree Lane a couple days after Christmas. This was a 40 minute drive so the fact that the lights were still up (and that the lane wasn’t dead) was a pleasant surprise. We were also glad to see that so many houses took part. Yet, it’s obvious that some houses have more fun with the event than others. Just wish that more houses took part. It has the potential to be really really cool.

Wow! Last year, my boyfriend and I discovered Christmas Tree Lane. We came there this year after Christmas and the decorations were still up and it was spectacular. Apparently the tradition of elaborately decorating the houses on this street during Christmas time goes back to the 1940s! The street is indeed a real treat to see with all the lights and decorations. You can see with how much these neighbors must love Christmas as it truly is amazing to say the least!
Pros:
–a wonderful chance to get into the Christmas spirit and it is free!
Cons:
–Nothing!
Check this link for more info.

Visited on 12/​20/​2015 at 5:30pm. Beautiful decorations by all the homeowners, quite a few people taking a stroll and kids having a good time. Great way to feel the holiday spirit!
Pro tip — park on a nearby street and take a stroll instead of driving through! Relaxing 30mins with friends and/​or family.

Came by tonight at 10:30 (12÷5÷2015). We didn’t see much. Just one house had lights. There were more lights on the cross streets. Came too early this year? Came too late tonight? Maybe the other reviewer is right. Participation has dwindled in recent years.
EDIT: Apparently, it starts on ¹²⁄₁₃ this year.

I used to love this, but every year the participation seems less and less which is very disappointing.

Loved it!
It makes for a nice tour of all the XMAS displays across the bay!
So you can make an evening out of visiting all the displays.

I went this past Christmas and it was okay really. For being about the only place in the area with ANY lights up, it was about the only option for Christmas light viewing. You can tell that a lot of effort went into making the elaborate cut outs but there really weren’t many lights. However, the kids caroling around the neighborhood were a really nice touch. It made me feel like I should have been sitting by a fireplace drinking eggnog. There was one house, just off Christmas tree lane, that went above and beyond with a candyland theme, changing the entire façade of their house. It was absolutely gorgeous and many families stopped to take pictures.

i never knew this existed until just a couple of months ago! my run club decided to run a new route to celebrate the holidays, so we started from downtown palo alto and eventually reached fulton street, where every house was lit up for the holidays! each one was a little different, some had more colourful lights, some had the inflatable holiday characters, some had their entire house lit up and some had their yard decorated with lights and other bling. one thing’s for sure, i definitely slowed down, almost to a run-​walk when i got here b/​c i wanted to look at each house a bit more carefully. this was definitely a nice detour from our usual route and i would definitely return next year to see the beautifully decorated houses again!

If you like drives, and have 15 minutes, this is a great place to go see some holiday lights. Its two blocks long, and you’re going to go slow enough in the warmth of your car to see all the pretty lights. Its a little far from my house, but my grandma wanted to see some holiday lights (I probably wouldn’t have gone if my grandma hadn’t asked me to go). Some houses are decorated better than others, but a still a good way to get yourself into the holiday spirit. You can also park at a neighboring street and walk around to see the lights.
Pro-​tip, Have a really good driver who can see a lot of things at once (lights, pedestrians, cars etc). It is especially treacherous because you’re supposed to turn off your headlights, so some have their fog lights or no lights on at all.

Last year we tried to go to Christmas Tree Lane on Fulton St in Palo Alto and turned out we went too early in December so make sure you check the dates online which they start showing X-​mas lights so you don’t make a special trip and be disappointed. We made it this year closer to Christmas and we were able to walk through the entire street in about 20 minutes. Pretty disappointing as I expected more participation based on all the extremely positive reviews I’ve seen but maybe things have changed over the years. We only drove about 20 miles to check out this Christmas Tree Lane but I would have preferred to make the longer drive to Alameda and check out their Christmas Tree Lane version which has been top quality for years.

It’s been a family tradition to go down Christmas tree Lane since I was a kid. Now that I have a child of my own, my husband and I were so excited to take our son and keep the tradition alive. This year was such a huge disappointment!!! For the past three years there have been less and less homes participating in decorating. We won’t be going back next year and I’m very sad to say that! We heard about Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos so we will be trying that out next year.

So disappointed, this year it was dark and much less decorations. Next year going to find another site to look at!

I wanted to check out some Christmas Lights and Christmas in the Park in DTSJ and Fantasy of Lights would be just too crowded. I checked out this neighborhood and was surprised to find parking right away. I guess I was pretty lucky because most cars just drove down the block and looked at the lights. I would say it is a good 2 blocks or so with some houses pretty decorated with lights and cut outs and some houses are actually not decorated whatsoever. Do not come here expecting a light show that completely blinds you like a really expensive house would have. These are modest houses that have just carried on the tradition and gotten in the spirit of Christmas. I admit I was expecting some mansions and the whole shebang but I still appreciate what the houses have done. My favorite is this big white house that just has classic lights everywhere. One of the houses has cutout boards where you can take a picture in the sled. I thought it was a pretty cool interactive lawn to display haha. It is a fun experience so check it out!
**TIPS**
1) Neighborhood parking is pretty tough, especially after dinner time so try to get there before 7pm or way later to skip the crowd.
2) Enjoy!

It’s really a good experience to walk through the streets with friends or a special someone! Some houses are definitely picture taking worth and it’s fun! There was a sleigh ride with reindeer and a batman Santa Claus! University ave is 5 minutes away so you can grab cream/​paris baguette or dinner before or after the nightly stroll. It’s really a fun experience :)

3.5 stars
Came here with my bf and we just stayed in the car and drove through the lane really slow. It was pretty neat with all the houses decorated, although I expected more. My bf had gone here as a kid a long time ago, and things hadn’t changed too much.
I’d come back again next year just to see if anything changes. Maybe I’ll walk it next time?

So the first time I tried to come here was this past Tuesday. I brought some of my girlfriends with me and I told them to dress warm, and we even got hot coffee before we tried coming here because other reviews said to get out and walk.
Anyways I got to the neighborhood and nothing was decorated! So I went on the website and saw that it started December 10^th, and that I was too early whoopsiesss.
So my friends and I came back yesterday night, and we were willing to get out of the car, but we saw nobody else walking around! I expected more people to be out walking, but it was around 9 so maybe the crowd died out? There were cars driving slowly and checking the decorations out though.
It’ definitely is a cute neighborhood! So jealous of all the houses, but if you’re driving the trip seems very short! So I’d recommend getting some hot coffee, and just walking down the block!

I really have nothing new to add to the other reviews, except to say that I wish more neighborhoods banded together in this way and put together a themed holiday display like Christmas Tree Lane. The fact that the homes are not super flashy or over the top makes it seem from another, simpler time. The little trees in front of each home are the icing on the cake of Fulton Street in Palo Alto. It’s fun to stand at the top of the street and look all the way down the «lane» and see all the trees lined up. It seemed to me that there was 100% participation this year of the homes.
It’s definitely walkable, so bundle up and take a walk through. A definite must see if you are in the area and a great holiday tradition to start. While walking through, «say hello to friends you know and everyone you meet.» Everyone around was super friendly!

We came here tonight. After viewing *impressive* Parkway Estates in SSF, the people w/​me were not that thrilled with this street. I guess if I didnt’ have to drive more than 15 min to come here, I’d do it annually.
I actually like to stroll, so I dont’ mind it. But don’t come here expecting the homes to be all decked out and «spectular». It isn’t. If one expects that, South San Francisco’s «parkway estates» is awesome or Christmas in the Park.
parkway Estates christmas decorations– This is an area with about 3 streets in which most of the homes in this neigborhood go ALL OUT with lawn and interior decorations. The lights are extensive and it’s so well lit that one probably doens’t need flash on the camera to snap pics. It’s truly amazing. I’ve seen a couple of tour buses come by. The local city’s senior commmunity center brought the seniors over as well. It’s quite lovely. You could park and just walk this neighborhood. Everything is concentrated in this area so unlike some other neighborhoods, you don’t have to «hunt» for the decorated homes.

I love Christmas time because I get to be a little child again. No one can judge me for getting excited about the tiniest of things such as peppermint white chocolate lattes at Starbucks, baking accidentally ugly shaped (but oh so tasty) cookies in my own home and searching the mall for fun little gifts.
Christmas Tree Lane just made Christmas in California rather than in snow covered cold Germany a little more… well…christmasy. My lovely boyfriend drove me down this downtown Palo Alto street about a week ago around 9pm. I gasped and shrieked and ooohed and aaahed as we slowly perused down the lit up magical holiday wonderland lane.
The decorations range from extensive lights all over houses, gardens and fences to reindeer, snowmen and santa figures.
The adult in me ended up coming through a little bit anyway as I wondered what the daily electricity bill for this street looked like in the winter time ;)

Each year the 1700 and 1800 block of Fulton Street in Palo Alto are turned into a tribute to the most wonderful time of the year. A Palo Alto holiday tradition, the concept of Christmas Tree Lane (originally called Christmas Fairyland Lane) was conceived over a bridge table by Judge & Mrs. Edward Hardy and the George Englishes more than sixty years ago. It has survived black outs during World War II, the energy crisis of the 1970’s and a few other challenges over the years but, is still going strong thanks to the hospitality of the street’s residents.
Whether you drive slowly down the street with only your parking lights illuminated and enjoy the displays from your car or park on a side street and walk past all of the Nutcracker characters, elves, reindeer and the Peanuts gang, please be mindful that these are people’s homes and you are there at their invitation. It is wonderful of them to continue this sweet tradition despite the fact that they risk inviting a whole lot of crazy onto their front lawns in doing so. Don’t give them a reason to opt out of the fun next year —behave !!! You don’t want to be responsible for killing a time honored tradition.
Christmas Tree Lane usually rises mid-​December. The lights displays turn on daily around 5 p.m. and continue through New Year’s Eve, with the lights darkening each night at 11 p.m. No parking is allowed on Christmas Tree Lane, but parking is available in nearby neighborhoods.