As the holiday season begins in Stockton, thousands of lights will soon glow from a towering tree at San Joaquin Delta College. But each light is meant to represent something far more personal than a holiday decoration.
On Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., Hospice of San Joaquin will hold its annual Tree of Lights ceremony at San Joaquin Delta College, continuing a tradition that began in Stockton decades ago and has since spread to communities throughout San Joaquin County and the surrounding region.
Families and friends are invited to dedicate a light in memory of someone who has died or in honor of someone who has made a difference in their lives. Those individual dedications transform the tree at the corner of Pacific and Yokuts avenues into something of a community memorial, with hundreds of personal stories represented in its branches.
A Tradition That Started With One Family
The story behind Stockton's Tree of Lights is itself one of remembrance.
The tradition began in 1989, when Mark Rasmussen wanted to honor his late wife, Kathy, who had received services from Hospice of San Joaquin. Rasmussen, then a PG&E employee, enlisted fellow employees to help create the first Tree of Lights on the San Joaquin Delta College campus.
The large pine tree at Pacific and Yokuts became the original Tree of Lights, and the tradition grew.
Fellow PG&E employee Dave Ayers created memory boards displaying the names of people represented by lights on the tree. Years later, the project had become a multigenerational volunteer effort for the Ayers family, while PG&E employees and community volunteers continued helping prepare trees in communities throughout the region.
What started as one husband's tribute to his wife eventually became a way for thousands of families to remember someone of their own.
Every Light Has a Name
The concept remains remarkably simple.
A person chooses a light and dedicates it to someone they want to remember or honor. Hospice of San Joaquin then places the person's name on a memory board associated with the ceremony.
For the Stockton tree, dedications currently begin at $5 for a red light and increase through several levels, including green, blue, white, yellow, purple and orange lights. A $1,000 contribution represents the treetop.
Hospice says the first memory boards are displayed on the evening of each community's tree-lighting ceremony. To ensure a name appears on the board that evening, mailed dedications must be received seven business days beforehand, while online orders have a two-day deadline.
The ceremony itself has become a holiday ritual for many families. Previous Stockton gatherings have included music and holiday entertainment before the moment when the crowd counts down and the tree suddenly illuminates the night.
For someone grieving during a season so closely associated with family, that shared moment can carry a very different meaning.
When the Holidays Are Bittersweet
The holidays can be joyful, but they can also magnify the absence of someone who is no longer at the table.
Tree of Lights creates a public place for both realities.
A family can celebrate the season while acknowledging someone they miss. A child can see a grandparent's name on a memory board. Someone can dedicate a light to a spouse, parent, sibling, friend or another person whose influence continues long after they are gone.
The tradition is not limited to memorials. Lights can also be dedicated in honor of someone still living, allowing residents to recognize people who have touched their lives.
In 2025, Stockton residents interviewed following the ceremony described lights representing parents, children and other family members. One Stockton woman attended in memory of her son Gregory, who died at age 25.
Stories like hers help explain why the ceremony has endured for generations.
From One Stockton Tree to a Regional Tradition
The idea born at Delta College has grown well beyond Stockton.
Hospice of San Joaquin has scheduled eight Tree of Lights ceremonies for 2026, beginning in Stockton on November 24 and continuing in Ripon, Escalon, Manteca, Lodi, Rio Vista, Lockeford and Tracy through December 8.
Each community puts its own character into the gathering, but the purpose remains the same: remember, honor and gather together.
The trees are prepared either by PG&E employee volunteers or host sites working with community volunteers, another tradition that connects the ceremonies to the communities where they take place.
For Stockton, however, the Delta College tree remains especially significant.
It is where the tradition began.
Lighting the Tree, Remembering the Person
By late November, thousands of holiday lights will be appearing throughout Stockton.
Most will decorate homes, businesses, streets and Christmas trees.
The lights at Pacific and Yokuts are different.
Each one can carry a name.
And when the Tree of Lights illuminates the Stockton night on November 24, families gathered beneath it won't simply be looking at another beautiful holiday display. Many will be looking up and thinking about someone they love, someone they miss, or someone whose presence in their life deserves to be remembered.
Sometimes remembrance doesn't require many words.
Sometimes it just takes a light.
Event Details
What: Hospice of San Joaquin Tree of Lights
When: Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Where: San Joaquin Delta College, corner of Pacific and Yokuts avenues, Stockton
Admission: Free to attend
Light Dedications: Available through Hospice of San Joaquin, beginning at $5
Purpose: Remember or honor a loved one while supporting Hospice of San Joaquin.
Dedicate a light or learn more about the 2026 Tree of Lights