Giant Poway ‘tree’ glows with holiday spirit

Tom Farley’s gift to local residents each year is a 72-foot tall Christmas “tree” — a spectacle of twinkling green and red lights, a beacon of goodwill that puts a smile on his face.

And apparently a grin on the faces of those who spot the holiday symbol high atop a hill that separates Poway and Sabre Springs.

It’s not a Noble fir or any other kind of living tree, but the illusion of one, Farley said.

He was first drawn to the Poway hillside in the 1970s, when he enjoyed hang-gliding as a UCSD student.

“I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for two years so I could have that house (and the hill),” Farley said.

To construct his “tree,” the Powegian uses guide wires anchored by 3-foot spikes to connect to the top of a tall post, which he erects by using a scissors lift. By adding lights, he flushes out the shape of a tree that can be seen for miles in Poway, Sabre Springs and parts of Scripps Ranch.

Friends and neighbors typically show up to help string the lights during several weekends in November, because the project is labor intensive.

“Nothing, not even Santa Ana winds or rain storms stop me from putting up the lights,” Farley said. “Because rain or shine, the lights are up by Dec. 1.”

People have dropped off wine, food, notes and other mementos at his Cobblestone Creek Road home to thank him for his efforts, he said.

“One woman slipped a cheesecake with a note under the fence,” Farley said.

“My dogs and pot-bellied pig chewed up the note and left just crumbs for me.”

But he appreciates the communication from well-wishers, including one fan that said her family can’t wait until dusk when Farley lights up the tree. He also gets up at 4:30 a.m. so commuters can appreciate the lit tree while traveling through Poway.

John and Clarissa Willing, who live in Poway Portals at the entrance of Poway, decided that after years of enjoying the holiday view they would drop Farley a note.

“When we’re driving in from the freeway and see those lights, we know we’re home,” John Willing said.

The annual tree also is appreciated by J.B. McQuillen, who runs Sterling Realty in Sabre Springs and lives in that community.

McQuillen and his family have enjoyed seeing the tree so much so that he recently brought a few bottles of wine to the tree “builder,” he said.

“When we see that tree, we know it’s Christmas,” McQuillen said.