By my count – 12.

The twelve tall (over 25 feet high) Christmas trees, around Jefferson Park, were photographed on the afternoon of Thursday, December 18, 2020. In 2019 – a Christmas tree was planted in the park in the north lawn – slightly north of the space between the tennis courts – unfortunately it did not take root. So there are no Christmas trees in the park but there are twelve tall ones around the park.

 

Jefferson Park has houses only along three sides – south (Cooley Avenue), east (West 132nd Street), and west (West 133rd Street). The north side is along Lorain Avenue.

 

It was an overcast day with temperature in the mid 30’s deg. F. We had very light snowfall the previous day and there was some additional accumulation in the morning – again very slight. The snow left light deposits on the tall trees that made their appearances in harmony with the Christmas season.

 

I was out for nearly an hour from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

 

The photographs taken, from the sidewalks, put the Christmas trees in context with the surrounding houses where possible.

 

Except for three houses -- our neighbor’s house (#1), and our house (#2) – both on Cooley Avenue, and a friend’s house (#7) on West 132nd Street – I avoided photographing the houses to assure their privacy. And where a full house showed up – except for the three mentioned – I did crop the sides of the house.

 

Of the twelve houses – only tall Christmas trees in five were clearly visible from the sidewalks – the rest were hidden behind the houses.

 

All twelve tall Christmas trees looked very majestic. I made no attempt to classify the tree types – the only criteria was that they looked generally like Christmas trees – tall, generally conical in shape, and symmetrical in appearance. Some were young, some mature, and some very bushy – looked like they were older trees with overgrown branches.

 

Of the twelve trees – only one (#7) has had lights on it – the last year was 2018. I spoke with the owner, who for many years has been climbing a ladder to decorate the trees. With advancing age he has decided that he will not be decorating any more. The last year it was decorated was 2018 – as the photograph shows.

 

Here is the list of the twelve tall Christmas trees with a brief description.

 

 

1. Our neighbor’s house, on Cooley Avenue, on the south side of Jefferson, has always had a full-sized mature Christmas tree that looks like a nicely trimmed tree even though it was never trimmed – see photograph #1. The tree is located in the backyard of the double plot.

 

 

2. Our house also has a Christmas tree. It is located in the front lawn of the double lot. See photograph #2. Our tree, which was also never trimmed, looks bushier. The two houses are the only ones with double lots that give our pet dogs plenty of space to romp around. Our neighbor has a collie named Dakota. Our Galena is a golden retriever with a curly tail.

 

 

* Eight Trees on West 132nd Street, East of Jefferson Park:

 

3. This tree, a good-looking mature Christmas tree, at the start of the street, is at the corner with Cooley.

 

 

4. This young Christmas tree is in the back yard of the house and not completely visible from the sidewalk.

 

 

5. This Christmas tree growing behind the garage of the house, definitely looks like a different type – but is really a relatively young tree where the symmetrical overhanging branches have not yet filled up.

 

 

6. This Christmas tree also growing behind the garage of the house – is very bushy – of all the twelve – the one with the most growth.

 

 

7. Of all the twelve trees, this is the only Christmas tree that has ever been decorated with lights (last time was in 2018) as the photograph shows. And it is the most elegant – it has been nicely trimmed over the years.

 

 

8. & 9. Two mature Christmas trees in the back yards of the houses.

 

10. A young Christmas tree in the back yard of the house.

 

 

* Two Trees on West 133rd Street, West of Jefferson Park:

 

11. A mature Christmas tree in the front of the house.

 

 

12. A young Christmas tree in the back yard of the house.

 

 

Next time you walk around the park – a distance of nearly 0.70 mile – should take you about 15 to 20 minutes -- please look around and see if you can identify the twelve tall Christmas trees.

 

Merry Christmas!