Attention holiday humbuggers: You are about to be filled with festive cheer. Resistance is futile, so grab a peppermint mocha, throw on a candy-cane-colored scarf, forget your "Why are there Christmas decorations out in October?" mantra, and head over to Festival of Trees.

This year marks the second time that the local Boys and Girls Club has sponsored the event; Chair Anna Ott has combined a more intimate venue and an even greater number of decorated trees to ensure that guests of Festival will have a doubly good time. Add that the admission price is low and family-friendly ($5 for adults, $3 for kids, little ones under 3 are free) with knowing that the funds raised support the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita, and there's even more reason to celebrate.

For first-time Festival attendees, here's what to expect: over 100 gorgeously decorated Christmas trees and wreaths, a ginger-bread village that looks good enough to eat, a kids' activity corner, a holiday boutique, a sweet shop and more - all working together to form a lovely compilation of everything festive.

An often unrealized bonus of Festival I should clue you in on - the trees and wreaths are for sale. I'm hoping to pick up "Mrs. Claus Rocks the House," a bright white tree with luscious fuchsia and lime ornaments, but my husband is praying that there will be another "Dodger Baseball" tree for sale.

Spousal disputes over trees aside, Festival is a fantastic, inexpensive way to get into the holiday mood. Quite the bah-humbugger myself, Festival of Trees broke through my Grinch-like persona - I liked it so much that last year I visited the show three times in as many days, and on each occasion brought a different "date" so that they could experience the fun, too.

This year's Festival will be held at the Santa Clarita Activities Center. If you're interested in getting a sneak-peak of what some of SCV's most talented designers have in store for Festival guests, plan on buying a ticket to the tree lighting on Thursday, November 18 - tickets are $50. If you don't mind waiting the 24 hours until Festival of Trees is open to the public, stop on by on November 19 or 20 between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.

For more information on Festival of Trees, to sponsor a tree or volunteer, please contact the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita at 254-3063.