Perhaps the best way to describe the Boys & Girls Club's Festival of Trees is to say that spending time there is like spending time inside your favorite Christmas card.

And it's accurate to say that the families who have made the festival such an endearing part of their winter celebration don't just come to sample a taste of the holidays. They come to feast.

They come for a holiday immersion and that's precisely what they get.

First, the eyes are overwhelmed; more than 100 trees are on display, all meticulously decorated by some of the area's most inspired and creative artists. There are wreaths and table displays, and many of the trees themselves are fashioned as part of a vignette - a unique theme bound only by the imagination of the artist.

"It's a Southern California taste of a white Christmas, a chance to remember - and perhaps to recapture - some of the treasures that can make yours such a wonderful life."

Next, taste buds are titillated. What is Christmas without food? And not just any food. The kind of food you only eat this time of year - at least with a clear conscience. The Festival of Trees will have plenty.

Of course, the festival is about much more than tickling your senses.

At an event such as this, hearts are warmed and spirits lifted. If even for a day, moms and dads can escape the mall-hopping madness. They can leave their to-do lists at home and build memories that will last a lifetime.

Can a festival really do this? Can scores of trees - no matter how beautifully decorated - generate this kind of impact?

This is the best part about the Festival of Trees. This is where its magic lies.

The trees themselves, though they are easily the tallest and certainly the best-dressed guests, are not really the main attraction.

The best sights you will see and the most pleasing sounds you will hear will come from you and from the people around you.

You'll hear a thousand "oohs" and "ahhs."

You'll see little eyes open wider than ever. You'll see mouths agape.

You'll hear the squeals and the laughter that belong to this time of year.

Turn a corner and you'll see kids dancing through the Avenue of Wreaths or tiptoeing through Gingerbread Village.

You might even catch sight of a teddy bear parade or Santa's photo shop.

You might send your child to the craft table to make a special ornament for your tree at home.

And for those who want to extend the magic into the night, there is the Saturday evening "Magic of the Lights Gala," which will include an hors d'oeuvres buffet, refreshments, entertainment and a live auction, where you can bid on your favorite tree or vignette.

The event, which is sponsored by Fastsigns, is Norman Rockwell and "A Charley Brown Christmas" all wrapped into one.

It's a Southern California taste of a white Christmas, a chance to remember - and perhaps to recapture - some of the treasures that can make yours such a wonderful life.