Twas the day after Thanksgiving and all through the city were cars full of laughter and bags of bows, so pretty. The Austin holiday elves wasted no time, loading trees full of decor pasted with glitter so fine!
Christmas, as most things, is bigger in Texas. Austinites have one, giant-sized holiday tradition that looks like a cheery cup of creativity poured all over the cedars that line 360 Loop, Capital of Texas Highway.
Enjoying tree decoration with my mom
Each year beginning in November, the beautifully decorated trees along 360 become a sparkly focal point of holiday cheer, almost as if by magic.
While this decorating tradition continues to expand each year, there are a few unanswered questions that arise from the masses of people who are new to Austin each year. Keep in mind, this tradition stemmed from sheer holiday cheer, so there is no organized website, Facebook page or phone hotline you can call to get logistics. With that said, here are some answers to frequently asked questions.
FAQ about 360 Tree Decoration
Q: Who decorates the trees?
A: Groups of families and friends gather together on the roadside to create memories and share a great Austin tradition. For example, I found a local mom named Kelly Chausovsky and her children, Alina and Samson, taking their holiday photos while decorating a tree.
Samson Chausovsky giving me his best smile
Q: Is it legal to decorate the trees?
A: Good question. There are no tree police as of yet, and you will not be ticketed or arrested for decorating the trees. Just be respectful to the community and kind to the trees.
Q: Do we decorate the trees along 360 only?
A: Not necessarily. However, each neighborhood may react differently. Tradition states that on 360 it is acceptable to decorate…until it’s not.
Q: Are there rules to decorating the trees?
A: No, there are no rules. But there are a few tips that may be helpful on your first decorating occasion because these roadside trees are not like the tree in your home.
Tips for Decorating Trees on 360
Colorfully decorated trees on 360
Bigger is definitely better. As a rule of thumb, you want your decorations to be visible from the street.
Bright and shiny objects make the tree sparkle during the daylight hours. And by using a solar-powered string of lights, your tree can also sparkle at night.
Consider the elements when you’re shopping for your decorations. Wind and rain can be problematic. (I personally put this theory to the test.)
Take plenty of string to fasten decorations in place.
Plastic makes for longer lasting decorations.
Be creative. Themed trees are the most photographed.
Don’t use this as an advertising opportunity. It looks tacky.
Last, but not least, ALWAYS return to your tree to collect decorations. This is how Austinites have been able to keep the tradition alive.
There’s a First Time for Everything
Celebrating our decorated tree!
My first experience with the 360 trees happened about three weeks ago, after five years in Austin. My mom and I took my “tip list” from above and tried out our skills. What I found: the experience is worth every smile and memory!
I learned that my tip about taking the elements into account is a necessity! After just one week, my tree imploded from the rain and wind. Thankfully, a friend came to the rescue and we not only fixed it, but highlighted our tree by adding a banner-style string up.
Take pride in your tree. Have at least one member of the decorating committee check up on it after the initial decorating. When winter weather persists and the elements play a hard bargain, give your tree a little fluff. Be neighborly enough to check on nearby trees as well.
Be part of the holiday beauty that blankets our dear city by choosing your tree and sharing your photos! We’d love to see your tree photos on our Facebook page.
I’d love to see a picture of your decorated tree
@CrisMueller asks:
Have you or will you be decorating a 360 tree this year?
I am concerned that a child may run out onto the highway as many of these trees are close to highways where speeds are 60 mph. Or even fall off a cliff as some of the trees are on the edges of cliffs. I think it is a pretty dangerous thing to bring young children out onto the side of a highway.
Most importantly, clean-up your crap after the holidays!
Yes! See tip #8. 🙂
I would not have such a negative reaction to this “tradition” if I knew for a fact that those who do this NEVER come back to clean up the mess the decorations leave four weeks later. As I drive to work each day on Southwest Parkway, I can still see decor from last year’s tree trimming exercise. If you are going to do this, then make sure you come back and clean it up!
Or just don’t decorate at all. This is not good for the environment and something needs to be done to stop the decorating. I’d like to see an ordinance passed with significant fines and have this tradition moved to a dedicated space that can be monitored so that wildlife and the watershed are not negatively impacted.
you are ridiculous, Stop trying to order people around with your fear tactics of pushing the government regulations )that come with jail time if violated)
on us for a tradition that was probably here way before you ever moved here, or were born here. Yuppie idiot.
PLEASE**** PLEASE****DO NOT DECORATE THESE TREES!!! it affects wildlife and the watershed. But if you feel you must: “Please consider sustainable and environmentally friendly practices this holiday season such as: not decorating trees that could impact environmentally-sensitive preserve land; using biodegradable, animal-friendly materials if you do decorate trees; and cleaning up the decorations after the holiday season. We would like for everyone, including the animals in the preserve, to have a happy holiday season.” READ MORE HERE: http://think.stedwards.edu/wildbasin/blog/post/decorating-loop-360
Hey sunmoon, how does decorating a live tree affect the watershed?
I really hate this tacky ‘tradition.’ “Oh, nature eh? Yeah, I can definitely improve on that. It’s not enough to have one tree in my house where no one outside of my family can bask in the creative way I threw a bunch of trash up there.”
This is not a tradition, it’s a new practice amongst copy cats in the last 3-4 years, and 90%of them never come back and clean up, which then forces taxpayers to foot that bill or obligates the Boy Scouts (last year) to spend their time doing it when they have more productive things to volunteer for. There used to be a consistent 7 to 12 trees beautifully decorated 10 years ago closer to 183 and that lasted for several years until recently when every or other copy cat group or family with no creativity feels entitled to do one for the whole 360 stretch, most are half done or just look plain sloppy and end up as litter even before the New Year.
Ever notice how The Wild Basin Preserve requests that know one decorates trees on the preserve along 360? It’s for several good reasons. I live in the neighborhood and I’m sick of this practice getting bigger and bigger, which contributes to more and more litter, especially after windy winter storms. It’s Jan 8 today and like I said, 90% of the decorations are still up or on the ground, so Ive called TXDOT to request a ban on this practice and I hope many more of my neighbors do so to.
“Last, but not least, ALWAYS return to your tree to collect decorations. This is how Austinites have been able to keep the tradition alive.”
No, it’s typically cleaned up by groups of Austin-area burners that are disgusted by all the moop left behind. Donate and help the local art community. They help you more than you know.
My friends and I decorate trees in the Cedar Park area, but always return to gather our decorations. I always leave a note with my email address so anyone can contact me of when I’m coming to clean up typically a few days after the new year. However, there are many who don’t clean up and I’ve seen there decorations left all summer. This year we decided to go and do a big clean up of anything left past January 15th. I think it looks cool, but understand all those concerns people posted. Happy Holidays!
Clean up your crap , litter bugs! It looks trashy on the roadside. Leave the wildlife and trees alone.
It’s January 6th and there are a lot of trees that still contain decorations on them or on the ground next to them. Every year the litter gets bigger and bigger and volunteer groups like the Boy Scouts or Keep Austin Beautiful shouldnt have to use their resources on something preventable just so a family can brag that they did a tree (most look sloppy or half done to begin with). Please go here and file a complaint, lets get this practice of littering banned before it gets even more bigger next Xmas.
http://www.txdot.gov/contact-us/form.html
http://keepaustinbeautiful.org/volunteer-opportunities
You people are horribly negative during this beautiful holiday season. y’all act like spoiled little children with bad attitudes, forgetting the traditions that my brothers and sisters in the military have given their lives for, to protect. Grow up and look for the beauty in life, at least you will be home with your families to do something like this, this season. Please stop your whining & griping and try to have fun this season and be thankful for your right to do so. Merry Christmas people even if you are ungrateful.