In just days, the Santa Clarita Valley will come to life with the beauty of the holiday season at the 2016 Festival of Trees, a four-day fundraiser supporting the Boys & Girls Club of SCV that has become a cherished tradition for hundreds of local families over the last 14 years.

Starting Wednesday, Nov. 23, children and adults alike will have the chance to view dozens of elaborately decorated trees and gingerbread houses, shop the holiday boutique, enjoy a myriad of live holiday entertainment and even visit with Santa Claus at the popular festival.

“The Festival of Trees is the annual kick-off for the holiday season in the Santa Clarita Valley, and we’re really excited to be hosting it this year on Thanksgiving week,” said David Menchaca, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of SCV. “We have all kinds of wonderful activities going on throughout the course of the week — there’s something for everyone.”

A glimpse of this year’s Gerard Cosmetics tree.

A total of 36 trees are set to be on display this year, each donated by a local business or group and beautifully decorated by volunteers to fit their chosen theme. For instance, the Gerard Cosmetics tree incorporates real beauty products into their decorations, like brightly colored lip gloss ornaments and a tree topper featuring a cherry red lipstick in its center.

“I’m always impressed every year with what people come up with in terms of the design and the concepts,” Menchaca said. “They’re really beautiful.”

Even local high school students have gotten in on the fun, with the West Ranch High School Dance Team and the Valencia Honor Society both expected to display a tree at the festival.

“We’ve had all these different groups coming together to work to help to create all the beauty and the magic in what you see,” Menchaca said. “And to me, that’s what represents the best of the Santa Clarita Valley — people getting together, working together on a common cause.”

Not only can festival-goers view the beautiful selection of trees, they can also place bids to take their favorite tree home along with special accompanying gifts, ranging from a suite at a Lakers game to fine furniture and more.

“Each of the trees come with unique gifts,” Menchaca explained. “One thing that we’ve always done is we’ve had a piece of furniture from A Royal Suite, and that goes with the KHTS tree.”

Between proceeds from the auction, ticket sales, photos with Santa and other fundraising opportunities, the Boys and Girls Club of SCV usually raises between $100,000 and $125,000 every year to support its programs and services.

“It’s a big fundraiser for us,” Menchaca said. “It’s just a great way for families to celebrate the holiday season together … and at the same time, give back and help support our local Boys & Girls Club.”

Special events planned for this year include the Jingle Jam Swing on Wednesday, “Holiday Hocus Pocus: An Evening of Magic” Friday and the Magic of the Lights Gala on Saturday. The Holiday Boutique is set to open Friday morning and run until the end of the festival Sunday evening.

“One of the things I really wanted to impress upon this year, especially since we are offering this the week of Thanksgiving, is for people to come and shop with us,” Menchaca said of the boutique.

He continued, “We’ll be open Black Friday, so while people may be running around to the other businesses in town, we’d love for them to come up to the Sports Complex and see what we have available, and they can purchase things that will go back and help support our community.”

Menchaca estimates somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 people will visit the festival throughout the course of the week, and is encouraging residents to help spread the word on social media.

One way residents can get involved is by taking a “selfie” with a tree from the festival at the Westfield Valencia Town Center. Those who use the hashtag #FestivalOfTrees will be entered into a drawing to win the tree, which is currently on display near the food court.

“It’s just another way that we can get people involved in the community, and I think that’s really the focus around the Festival of Trees,” Menchaca said. “Of course, it’s (about) the beautiful trees, but it’s really about getting people together in our community to spend time together.”

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of SCV’s 2016 Festival of Trees, click here.