Watsonville's Christmas Tree Tradition Lights Up

Watsonville will be bursting with holiday spirit all day Saturday.

Beginning at 9 a.m., the annual Holiday Factory Sale will draw bargain shoppers from across the Central Coast to enjoy special deals.

In the afternoon, the third-annual Snow Day will Peck and Union Streets into a winter wonderland.

The day concludes with Holiday in the Plaza, a new event debuting that organizers hope will become a Watsonville holiday tradition. There will be a giant Christmas tree—a 30-foot living Redwood donated by a generous couple—and tree-lighting ceremony. Consider it a community Christmas gift, because the donation includes all of the lights, decorations, labor and even the electricity for this tree.

The lighting ceremony will take place in the Plaza at 6:30 p.m. and will include a special appearance by Santa Claus. The tree will remain lit and on display through Jan. 1, after which it will be planted at Pinto Lake City Park.