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December 23, 2023

Photo Essay: SoCal's Other Christmas Tree Lane, In Oxnard (ft. the F Street Railroad)

I'd already been to Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena, just northeast of the city of Los Angeles—but it's not the only Christmas Tree Lane around in Southern California. 

 
There's another one in the city of Oxnard in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles in the other direction—and this year I finally got to go (once again for a shoot for work).


We first passed by Plaza Park, where we admired the circa 1910 former bandstand called the Pagoda, all lit up and decorated for Christmas...



...standing right next to its string lights-festooned tree.

 
We then made our way over to F Street, one of two local neighborhood strips that honor the tradition of lighting up for the holidays. 

 
F Street was the first to pick up the torch from Candy Cane Lane (a.k.a. Teloma Drive) in the nearby city of Ventura, which fizzled out in the early 1990s. The new tradition began in Oxnard in 1994.

 
Now, F Street carries on the tradition—even showcasing some 1940s-era fiberglass camels that were restored about 10 years ago, after having been kicked out of Plaza Park for being a religious display on government-owned property

 
Elvis and animatronic reindeer greeted us...


...as we strolled the yuletide gay...
 

...happening upon a dabbing sombrero-wearing Santa...
 

...and Spike, Snoopy's cousin from Needles, California.
 
 
All the lights were all aglow with messages of peace and love...


...and comfort and joy... 
 
 
...while the F Street Railroad clicked along the tracks, chugging along as it has been for more than two decades (thanks to the Heath and Thierry families, who live next door to each other, see video below). 

 
In the year 2000, the adjacent G Street was added to the Christmas Tree Lane festivities...


...and those residents sure are making up for lost time, with the Festivus house near the cul-de-sac by the Sisters, Servants of Mary convent...

 
..."stained glass" lawn decorations depicting the nativity at the circa 1926 Bernard R. Muldoon House (a contributing structure to the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District, a national landmark)...


...and an explosion of inflatables, lighted arches, illuminated candy canes, and even patriotic messages.
    

Walking the route will guarantee being able to see all the decorations up close, but Downtown Oxnard also sells tickets to limited "Holly Trolley" tours via a double-decker bus, during which you get a narrated tour and lots of neighborhood gossip. 

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