Late on a Monday night in October 2025, people near the park on Gregory Lane heard a sound that some compared to a transformer exploding. Claycord reported that the heritage oak known around town as the Hospice Tree of Lights had fallen. The power went out for a short time and police sent a text alert about the road closure. By the next morning, people had gathered at the site, sad and stunned at the loss.
Less than thirteen months later, the Pleasant Hill Tree of Lights has a new tree, and the 2026 ceremony was scheduled for Gregory Lane again. A hospice nonprofit, a park district, a swim team and a group of downtown merchants have kept their own pieces of the holiday season going for decades. Here is how that played out and what the rest of the season looks like.
A 250-year-old tree and the tradition it carried
The oak stood outside the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District office on Gregory Lane. Each year the District's event page asked people to buy a light for "the majestic Oak tree" in memory of someone they had lost. Every light was a donation to Hospice East Bay. The District's listing explained that the tree lighting fundraisers help Hospice accept all medically qualified patients, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
Pleasant Hill was not the only town to lose its tree. In a press release republished by Contra Costa News, Hospice East Bay said the Pleasant Hill oak and the Martinez Tree of Lights oak were both estimated to be more than 250 years old. Both fell from natural causes in the same week. With no tree in either town, Hospice moved both 2025 ceremonies to a single combined event with Concord and Clayton. It was held on December 2, 2025, at John Muir Medical Center's Concord Campus.
In that same release, Mats Wallin, Hospice East Bay's Chief Development Officer, put it this way:
"For so many years, our community has gathered beneath these beautiful oaks to remember and honor those we've loved and lost. Although we lost two trees to natural causes this fall, our tradition continues."
The new tree, and what it took
Hospice said it was working with the Cities of Pleasant Hill and Martinez and with the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District to find and prepare new trees. It estimated that lighting and electrical safety upgrades would cost $15,000 to $20,000 at each site.
Pleasant Hill finished that work first. The 2026 Tree of Lights page from Hospice East Bay says the organization "has found a new tree for the Pleasant Hill ceremony." The Martinez ceremony is still combined with Concord and Clayton this year. Hospice scheduled Pleasant Hill's ceremony for a new location, Pleasant Hill City Hall, on Wednesday, November 4, at 5:30 p.m. The Contra Costa Herald listing gives the address as 100 Gregory Lane, the same street as the old oak.
This is the 40th year of Hospice East Bay's Tree of Lights ceremonies. The 2026 series runs from November 2 through December 4 at locations around the county. Lights can be bought through Hospice East Bay's Tree of Lights donation page, and the money goes to end-of-life patient care. According to Hospice, Tree of Lights contributions also help pay for its free community bereavement program.
The rest of the season runs on long-standing hosts
Hospice, the City and the Park District worked together to keep the Tree of Lights ceremony in town. The rest of Pleasant Hill's holiday calendar works the same way. Most events come from a few organizations, and several of them have run for decades.
The Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District hosts most of them. Its Fall 2026/Winter 2027 Spotlight Recreation Guide lists these events for the weeks ahead:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Holiday Boutique and Crafts Fair, 50+ craft vendors | Senior Center | Free |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 22, daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 42nd Annual Dolfins Tree Lot | Winslow Center lot, 2590 Pleasant Hill Road | Trees for sale |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 8:30 or 10 a.m. seating | Breakfast with Santa | Senior Center, Chateau Room | $12.50, or $10 for District residents |
| Wed., Dec. 9, 5 to 8 p.m. | Winter Fest | Pleasant Hill Community Center | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 10, 7 p.m. | Clarinet Fusion concert | Senior Center, Chateau Room | Listed in guide |
| Thu., Dec. 17, 7 p.m. | Diablo Regional Concert Band Holiday Concert | Senior Center, Chateau Room | Free, donations accepted |
Some of these need planning ahead:
- Breakfast with Santa requires pre-registration by noon on December 1. Everyone attending has to register, and the menu includes pancakes and sausage along with live entertainment. Check the seating time on the District's registration page before you go.
- The Dolfins Tree Lot opens November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and runs through December 22. It sits at the corner of Taylor and Pleasant Hill Road, and the proceeds go to the Pleasant Hill Dolfins Swim Team. This year is its 42nd.
- Winter Fest is a free weeknight event. The District describes a Polar Express train ride, a visit with Santa, festive crafts and live performances at the Community Center.
- The December 17 band concert supports two groups. Admission is free, and donations at the door are split between the Diablo Regional Concert Band and the Pleasant Hill Senior Center.
Clarinet Fusion is billed by the District as "Pleasant Hill's very own," and it plays the Chateau Room one week before the concert band. Both December concerts are performed by community groups, in a room run by the Park District.
Downtown keeps its own tree
Pleasant Hill has a second tree lighting, and it is held downtown. Light Up The Night is set for Saturday, November 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., near Chipotle in Downtown Pleasant Hill. The Downtown Pleasant Hill event listing describes it as a partnership between the City of Pleasant Hill and the Downtown Merchants, with performances, crafts, activities, caroling and the lighting of the Christmas tree.
On Saturday, December 19, the same downtown blocks host A Merry Morning with Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., near Jack's Restaurant & Bar, with time with Santa and seasonal activities for families. That gives Pleasant Hill two Santa mornings two weeks apart. Breakfast with Santa at the Senior Center is a ticketed sit-down meal. The downtown morning is held outdoors among the shops.
Downtown also has a new tenant this season. Osaka Marketplace is taking over more than 42,000 square feet of the former Orchard Supply Hardware space at 155 Crescent Plaza. In late October, a Downtown Pleasant Hill spokesperson told the Bay Area Telegraph that the store was expected to open in mid-November. According to the Telegraph, the City's original announcement described plans to turn the old garden center into a semi-outdoor Japanese market hall with several small restaurants, next to a grocery selling seafood, ready-to-eat meals and imported foods. Osaka already runs stores in Fremont and Foster City, and the Fremont store has a cafe and food court. Brandi Hardy, Downtown Pleasant Hill's marketing director, said the store would expand the center's shopping and dining while celebrating Japanese culture and food.
Where the season stands next week
By mid-November, the new Tree of Lights tree at City Hall had its first ceremony on the calendar for November 4. The Holiday Boutique opens Saturday at the Senior Center, and Light Up The Night is one week after that. The Dolfins open their lot the day after Thanksgiving, as they have for 41 seasons before this one.
Hospice East Bay has found a new tree for Pleasant Hill in 2026, and Martinez's ceremony is still combined with Concord and Clayton this year.
The traditions on this calendar belong to the neighbors who keep them going, and they're part of what makes Pleasant Hill feel like home. If you'd like to talk about what any of this means for your own plans in town, Christine Canales would be glad to hear from you, whether over coffee downtown or between events. Let's Connect.
