As the winter holiday season approaches, Tahoe/Truckee prepares for its yearly transformation into a winter wonderland. One minute it’s sweater weather and the mountain towns are full of fall colors and then – boom – they’re decked out in lights and holiday cheer.
While there are many elements that contribute to a winter storybook feel, holiday lighting can add the finishing touch.
Holiday lighting comes in many different shapes and forms. Whether it’s a torchlight parade at Granlibakken, a tree lighting at Palisades Tahoe, or a festival of winter lights in South Lake, each town participates in creating its own unique glow.
In Tahoe City, the downtown corridor is often referred to as the North Pole when the trees are lit and snow begins to fall, said Katherine Hill, TCDA executive director. The Tahoe City winter downtown lights tradition was started more than 15 years ago by former TCDA President Gary Davis.
“Many towns wrap light posts, which is cool, but Tahoe City is the only town to add lights to all the trees,” said Hill. “We are also in the process of doing some lights on Watson Cabin this year, which just got renovated, so that’s pretty cool.”
The goal, Hill explained, is to encourage people to explore downtown during the darker winter months, when the sun sets as early as 4:30 p.m. The lights are festive but also provide comfort and safety for those out and about once it gets dark.
“Every five to six years we remove the lights and rewrap them to make sure the trees stay healthy,” said Hill. “You can expect fresh lights on all the trees this season, as well as additional trees wrapped in lights.”
This season, there will be 30,000 feet of light strings on about 45 trees throughout downtown Tahoe City, according to Hill.
Many businesses also participate by lighting up their storefronts. Past examples include the Tahoe Wine Collective, Boatworks Mall, Pepper Tree Inn, and The Yoga Room.
Alpenglow Sports is also known for having an impressive holiday window display.
“You can expect a good show this holiday season,” said Max Rehkoph, an Alpenglow employee.
Rehkoph noted that the DarkSky International movement could shape how local businesses approach their holiday lighting. With more Truckee/Tahoe communities embracing efforts to reduce light pollution, the festive glow around town might take on a new look this season.
Alpenglow Sports puts the majority of its holiday decorations within its windows, a practice that could become more common as the DarkSky initiative grows.
DarkSky encourages warmer tones of lights, downward lighting, and pushes for lighting to be turned off around 10 p.m. However, holiday lighting and DarkSky guidelines aren’t mutually exclusive; local business owners believe that responsible lighting practices can still keep the season bright.
Christmas lights are not limited to businesses, of course. They’re also a big part of neighborhoods.
The Hanson family, who decorates their Glenshire home every season, said that holiday lighting is contagious.
“It’s a snowball effect throughout the neighborhood,” said Dan Hanson.
Ali Hanson added that the entire family looks forward to decorating the house every year because it creates memories for their family.
“Each decoration holds a memory from past years,” she said.
The Hanson family keeps their holiday decorating close to the ground, outlining the garage, windows, and walkways. They avoid tall ladders and roof lines after a friend’s fall a few years back served as a reminder to keep things safe.
But not everyone has the time or know-how to hang their own Christmas lights. Stringing lights yourself can be overwhelming, but homeowners can take the stress out by hiring pros like Sierra Lighting. The company will decorate homes up until the last minute. However, it’s wise to call or email between mid-October and November.
“As soon as daylight savings hits, it’s dark before we get home from work,” said Rom Marcucci, co-founder of Sierra Lighting. “[Holiday lights] adds a little cheer and a little excitement to that time of year.”
Holiday decorating can begin as early as Nov. 1.
“As soon as we’re done with Halloween, the phones and emails start going absolutely berserk,” Marcucci said.
Some homeowners spare no expense.
“People go big,” said Marcucci, adding with a touch of hyperbole, “Highway 50 in South Lake has a homeowner who does a million light-up inflatables.”
The Ledbetters are another family that puts on a big holiday display near South Lake, with usually between 60 to 70 light-up Christmas inflatables, he added.
Sierra Lighting, whose coverage area extends from Tahoe to Reno to Minden, will put lighting up on rooflines, windows, and railings, add wreaths and garlands, and wrap tree trunks and limbs. It rents lights to customers, maintains them, takes them down two weeks into January, and stores them throughout the rest of the year.
Unless it’s a winter like the one of 2023.
“In 2023 we had this massive winter that started early and just would not let up,” said Marcucci. “We turned off everyone’s lights after the holidays, but some of the lights were buried under 10 feet of snow and we couldn’t get them until June … It never ended that year.
DIY Lighting
Planning to hang your own holiday lights? Marcucci shares a few tips:
1. No need to stress about how much lighting you can do, making it fun and enjoyable
is what matters.
2. Mountain Hardware or Ace Hardware are great places to purchase lights.
3. Make sure you’re using appropriately rated products, use them the way they’re intended, be conscious of extension cord placement, and use ladder safety and fall protection.
4. Enjoy your lights throughout the evening, then turn them off before bed. No reason
to light up the entire street at 3 a.m.
