AUSTIN, Texas - It's hard to miss the hundreds of decorated trees along Loop 360 this time of year. The tradition's been going strong for more than a decade.

"The first year, there was just one tree," said Kathleen Harman. "It was our tree. The next year, there were 10. The next year there were 50, and now it is 20 miles long."

Fourteen years later, her family's tree has more than doubled in size, and just about every tree nearby has been decorated. Harman said she comes out to the tree often during the holiday season, and she makes new friends every visit.

"We know families," she said. "We have made friends. People bring their dogs and children. To hear their stories and to hear their different kinds of traditions as to why this really important to them has been special too."

She offered to take a photo for one family that stopped Friday afternoon to admire the trees. They found one that included a theme from Doctor Who.

Up the road a quarter mile, Lisa Del Doto and her friend, Brianna Fleet, decorated their trees for the first time. They said they drove up and down the highway to find the perfect tree.

"People were yelling, 'Merry Christmas!' and yelling 'We really like what you are doing,'" she said. "It just felt so good."

Del Doto chose snowman ornaments because she felt they'd survive anything nature will throw their way.

"Just kind of by process of elimination, I found these snowmen," she said. "They're not really wacky or anything, but I know they will endure the weather."

If you drive through at night, you'll notice a few trees that have solar-powered lights. Everyone who decorated a tree is encouraged to avoid using glass and tinsel, and take the ornaments down before New Year's Day.