Trail of Lights Gets a New Name and Feel

The year was 1965 and Austin residents, Mrs. Alden Mabel and Beverly Sheffield, chose to give a Christmas gift to their city. The four-day display of the 12 days of Christmas and a Yule log, set up in Zilker Park, became an instant hit with the city. Two years later, the city erected the famous, lighted Zilker Tree, which became known as the "World's largest man-made tree."

What had originally been billed as the Austin Yule Fest became known as Austin's "Trail of Lights." The name change occurred in 1992 and began to incorporate numerous lighted and entertaining displays. The Trail of Lights became a holiday staple to citizens and visitors of Austin, complete with live music and plenty of hot chocolate.

Austin was not spared, however, during the deep economic recession of 2008-2009 and the city was forced to make an unpopular decision. The budget for the festival known as the Tree of Lights was cut and sponsorship of the event offered to private enterprise. Over a dozen Austin area companies, dedicated to this Austin family-friendly tradition, stepped forward with financial assistance.

The name has changed to the Austin Tree Holiday Festival and is much smaller in scope than in recent years. Even so, there is still room for family traditions by the large Yule log fire and live entertainment will continue to hang in the air. As an added treat for 2009, the Boy Scouts of America will be providing a movie double feature "under the stars." From December 15th through December 20th, the Boy Scouts of America will screen their Austin-made documentary titled "Believe It. Live It. " At the conclusion of the 45 minute show, festival-goers will enjoy a holiday feature-film following this schedule:

December 15-16: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
December 17-18: A Christmas Story
December 19: The Polar Express
December 20: It's a Wonderful Life

Parking fees for this year's Tree Holiday Festival range from $10 to $15 per car, but admission to the festival remains free. The festival grounds open to the community at 7pm and remain available to the public until 10pm. The 2009 festival may be smaller than in years past, but it will more resemble the original and there will still be plenty of hot chocolate!