Can you find holiday inspiration in something as simple as a list of places to pick up a pine or find a fir? At one point, I would have answered that with a big old Grinchy “No.”

But here’s the thing: Over the last few years of creating and updating this guide to Southland holiday tree lots and farms, I’ve marveled how each one seems to take on a life of its own, becoming something more than just a clickable listicle that helps you easily land your festive flora (though it definitely is that). It ends up telling me a Christmas story — and usually it’s one I didn’t see coming.

The first list (back in 2021) was all about adaptability and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year focused heavily on family-owned lots and choose-and-cut tree farms, and 2023’s list was a testament to longevity, showcasing a pair of Scouting-run tree lots with a combined 120 years of experience slinging pine.

This year’s list fills in a few gaping holes in our SoCal greenery guide by adding a handful of long-running tree lots that offer more than simply trees to take home and stash gifts under. At longtime local lot Pasadena Christmas Trees, for example, in addition to a selection of pines looking for their fir-ever homes (see what I did there?), you’ll find micro pigs and micro goats frolicking about in an on-site petting zoo for your enjoyment. The added value over at the Malibu Holiday Market & Tree Lot (where tree sales benefit the city’s four public schools) includes food trucks, a new Saturdays-only holiday market featuring local vendors and programming that includes an ugly sweater contest, a gingerbread house competition (no word on whether building permits will be required in advance) and holiday karaoke.

Now harness up your reindeer, point your sleigh toward one of these 34 places to get a Christmas tree and make the jolly bearded one proud.