Sugar House ‘Christmas Street’ in jeopardy, residents raising funds to keep decades-old tradition going

SALT LAKE CITY — For decades “Christmas Street” in Sugar House has been a tradition families can look forward to.

Located on Glen Arbor Street and 1500 East, neighbors decorate their homes for the holidays. A large Christmas tree made out of lights is placed at the middle of the cul-de-sac and a bright sign the reads “Christmas Street” welcomes visitors who drive in.

Homes feature bright lights to small displays such as a Polar Express theme, to penguins in the North Pole.

“We have someone on our street who’s really artistic and she has a Christmas gondola,” said Emma Thatcher, who’s lived on Christmas Street for a few years now.

The tradition started in the late 1940s with records dating back to the early 1950s. “In 1947, they started connecting every house with a string of Christmas lights,” Thatcher said.

She’s volunteering her time to help keep the decades-old tradition going. Thatcher said the iconic Christmas Street sign was recently broken and their Christmas tree made of lights was damaged last year.

Many neighbors have come together, paying out-of-pocket to keep maintain the sign but it’s getting expensive and some neighbors may have lost interest in the initiative.

“I think it’s really natural to evolve, it’s not going to look like how it looked in 1947. To just be done because we can’t figure out how to evolve is really unfortunate. I think figuring out what works for the people who live here and the people who come here that’s something we can do,” Thatcher said.

Which is why Thatcher and other started a fundraiser to help raise more than $4,000 for maintenance and upkeep.

“You just want to keep it going for the people who love it,” she said.

If you would like to donate to keep Christmas Street alive click here.

You can also stay updated by following the neighbors on Instagram @christmasstreetslc.