By Nathan Magsig
This December, our community will mark a milestone few traditions in America can claim: the 100th Annual Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree. On December 14, 2025, families, veterans, church groups, and visitors from around the world will once again gather at the base of the General Grant Tree. This monarch of nature has stood for over 1,650 years, and reminds us of peace, gratitude, and the unbroken spirit of the Central Valley.
As someone who has spent my life working to preserve our region’s natural treasures while strengthening the communities that depend on them, the Trek holds a special meaning. It is more than a ceremony or a seasonal outing.
The story of the Trek began in 1924, when R.J. Senior, President of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce, wandered through Grant Grove and paused before a massive giant sequoia. As he stood in awe, a young girl approached and whispered the words that sparked a century of tradition: “What a lovely Christmas tree that would be.” Her name was never recorded, but her wonder changed history. Inspired by that moment, Chamber Secretary Charles E. Lee returned the next Christmas, trekking across a snow-covered dirt road to place flowers at the tree’s base and hold a quiet service.
Lee later wrote to President Calvin Coolidge urging him to officially recognize the tree, and on April 28, 1926, the General Grant Tree became the Nation’s Christmas Tree for all Americans.
From that point on, the Trek became an annual act of unity. Sanger embraced its role so fully that in 1949 the U.S. Post Office recognized it as the Nation’s Christmas Tree City. In 1956, the tradition deepened when Congress designated the General Grant Tree as a National Shrine to honor America’s war dead, the only living shrine of its kind.
Even during the rationing and travel restrictions of World War II, when crowds could not gather, a National Park Service ranger still walked to the tree to place the wreath. The message was simple and powerful: remembrance must continue, even when circumstances make it difficult.
Today, the General Grant Tree stands 267 feet tall with a trunk circumference of 107 feet, large enough to build thirty-five homes if it were timber. But the real value of this tree isn’t in its size or age; it’s in the generations of Americans who have stood beneath its branches and felt the same sense of humility and wonder that little girl felt a century ago.
As we approach the centennial Trek, I’m reminded of how much we need moments like this. In an era defined too often by division and distrust, the Trek calls us back to something foundational: Peace on Earth, Good Will to All. It’s a phrase spoken every year at the ceremony, and one that each of us has the power to live out in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our politics.
I encourage everyone, whether you’ve been attending for decades or have never made the journey, to join us for this once-in-a-lifetime 100th anniversary event.
A century ago, a small group of determined community leaders saw something extraordinary in a quiet grove of sequoias and dared to create a tradition that would outlive them. They could never have known that 100 years later, thousands would still gather in that same spot to sing, to pray, and to celebrate what unites us.
As we look to the next hundred years, may the Nation’s Christmas Tree continue to stand as a living symbol of resilience, and may the Trek continue to remind us that even in challenging times, there is beauty, goodness, and hope worth walking toward.