Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Grove, Windsor
What could be more charming and more “Sonoma County” than a stroll through the Windsor Town Green, lit up with rows and rows of Christmas trees and Peanuts-themed decorations? What could possibly go wrong?
The trees are all commissioned by families, local charitable organizations and businesses like Eggen & Lance and Fred Young Funeral Home. There are other sponsors as well, but the mortuaries stand out. The green includes a light tunnel, fake snowfall throughout the night and Christmas music pumping through speakers.
The song playing when I showed up was Elvis’ “Blue Christmas.” A classic, no doubt. Perfect. Walking around for a few minutes and gazing at the merriment and magic of it all, I didn’t notice when “Blue Christmas” played again. I noticed the third time, though. And the fourth. And the fifth. I don’t know if there was a problem with the device playing the music or if it was programmed by a crazed Elvis obsessive, but it only took a few run-throughs to feel like the song would be stuck in my head forever.
Finally, after the seventh or eighth time, the intro of a new song began, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Until the vocals came in. It was Ernest Tubb. Ernest Tubb singing “Blue Christmas.”
