Christmas, unplugged

No lights. No candy canes. No ornaments. And if you see anything near the top, it’s likely a real star. The General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon National Park is a Christmas tree born not of decoration but of admiration -- and a presidential action. As the story goes, a young girl struck by the beauty of the roughly 267-foot-tall sequoia thought it would make a swell Christmas tree. The idea inspired many, including Charles E. Lee of tiny Sanger, Calif., who wrote to the president to seek a special designation for the tree. In 1926, President Coolidge deemed the General Grant the “nation’s Christmas tree” (not the “national Christmas tree,” which the president lights each year in Washington). For more than seven decades, folks have trekked to the base of the 1,650-year-old tree (give or take a few centuries) to celebrate. On Sunday, more than 500 are expected to walk the one-eighth of a mile from the parking lot to the tree’s base to hear a letter from the president read, carolers perform and a 15-minute nondenominational service. After that, there’s the blowing of taps and the laying of a wreath to honor those who died in service to the country -- something that was added when the tree was proclaimed a national shrine in 1956, again by presidential action. You can drive to the tree or, if you want to get into the group spirit, take the bus from Sanger, which is about 55 miles from the park. Bus service between Sanger and the park costs $21 per person; you can opt for the lunch or dinner bus (which includes a meal) for $37 per person. For more information, call the Sanger Chamber of Commerce at (559) 875-4575.

-- Mary Forgione