VIDEO: Snowmen, Stars and Santas Sparkle On Christmas Tree Lane

Sunday marked this year's official opening of Thompson Avenue's infamous Christmas Tree Lane.

This year's decorations include plenty of painted cartoon character cutouts, alight show honoring the movie "The Night Before Christmas" and even an elf who tirelessly works on building toys.

The homes and displays light up from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. every night through New Years Day.

A sign posted where Santa Claus usually sits says that he will make his debut this Friday, Dec. 7. Jolly ol' St. Nick will post for photos from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. every night until Dec. 23. Kids are welcome to share their Christmas wish lists and drop off letters in his mailbox.

"Santa doesn't want to catch a cold this important time of year, so he is only out weather permitting," according to a post on the Christmas Tree Lane Facebook page.

Watch the video above to see some of this year's decked out homes on Christmas Tree Lane. Feel free to share photos and videos of your own.

To learn more about the history of Christmas Tree Lane, check out previous articles on Alameda Patch:

• Christmas Tree Lane Top Ten Things You Might Not Know
• Holiday Magic on Thompson Avenue Since 1938

And if you think your home Christmas-Tree-Lane-worthy (or perhaps it is one of the homes on Thompson Street), make sure to enter it in Patch's Deck the House Contest. Patch will pay up to $500 of the utility bill for each finalist, while our national winner will have $100,000 donated to his or her local school district. Come on, Alameda — we have a good shot here!

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