The holidays are right around the corner and there's a big change coming to a wildly popular South Bay tradition.
For the first time ever, organizers of San Jose's Christmas in the Park celebration will use an artificial Christmas tree instead of a live one as the centerpiece of the event.
Organizers for many years would have a giant, live Christmas tree lit up and decorated for Christmas in the Park. The trees would come from the Shasta Mountains and usually stood 50 to 60 feet tall.
But this year the executive director of the event tells NBC Bay Area that after a lot of discussion and thought, organizers decided to use an artificial tree instead. Cost is on one of the major reasons why they decided to go with an artificial tree.
It costs up about $20,000 to put up and to dispose of a real Christmas tree.
Organizers also point to environmental concern as another reason for the change. In order to make the live tree look more full, the tree farm takes branches from other trees and puts them into the one for Christmas in the Park. The executive director said they cannot recycle the tree anymore once that happens.
