Christmas In the Park, a San Jose tradition

Recently I visited San Jose to see holiday displays.  First, I decided to visit Santana Row, the upscale shopping center and residential community.  It was in the daytime, so there wasn't much to see.

After that, I traveled to downtown San Jose.  In the middle of downtown, there is a park that is a popular spot to spend an afternoon.  But, each winter it is transformed into a holiday display, called Christmas in the Park.  It is set up by volunteers working with organizers in the city of San Jose to create this wonderful place for everyone to enjoy, entirely free of charge.

According to the history, it was started in 1950 by a local businessman who set up displays in front of his store.  The attraction grew over the years, and was eventually donated to the city to accommodate large crowds.  But it ran into problems and was put away into storage for years.  Then nearly 30 years ago, a group was organized to restore this once-defunct holiday tradition.  Now each year, many many volunteers put in thousands of hours to bring this tradition for everyone to enjoy.

Unfortunately, lack of funds seems to threaten it once again.  The decorated trees, photos taken with Santa, and the food booths collect funds and donations to try to keep it going year after year.  There was a sign that said, if each person that visited only donated $1, they would have enough money to bring it back year after year.

This was the first time I had even heard about this holiday tradition ( It was featured on the news )  I plan to go back and make a small donation.  Hopefully, others will too, and it can continue to delight families and citizens for many years to come.

But to truly experience the beautiful spectacle, it absolutely must be seen at night, when all the lights are fully illuminated!

Halloween

On Halloween night, I visited a neighborhood home that is converted into a haunted house.  Much of it has been hand-crafted throughout the years and I was told that it takes two days to unpack everything each year to set up.  It was like visiting a theme park, but there are no admission fees and no sponsors.  Just a handful of dedicated people working tirelessly to create this unique spectacle for the hundreds of families and neighbors to enjoy each year.

Yountville

I took these photos walking down the main street, Washington Avenue,  in Yountville, which is a small town located in the Napa Valley.   It seems to be a popular destination for tourists, honeymooners and wine lovers.