We all know what to expect when December rolls around, sleigh bells will be ringing in downtown
San Jose’s annual Christmas in the Park.
Christmas in the Park celebrated its 40th anniversary with a parade last Friday and new additions to the park experience.
The park tradition started when the late Don Lima built an elaborate nativity set on the lawn of his Willow Glen business, Lima Family Mortuary, in the 1950s.
“There were very few displays at that time . . . and the following year . . . because of the enthusiasm of the neighborhood and families around, we decided to make it a little bigger,” Lima said, according to the Christmas in the
Park website.
Because the display drew crowds each year as he added to it, he decided to donate it to the city so it could be a part of the
San Jose community.
The event grew so big that in 2012, a nonprofit took over the planning and production of the park.
Kassandra Monta, Christmas in the Park event intern and San Jose State hospitality senior, helps run the park production and its events.
“[It] isn’t just a one-man job, there are many people involved such as vendors and yearly staff that help with the amount of people,” Monta said in an email.
The event requires months of preparation since the park is constantly flooded with crowds throughout the month of December.
Monta said a benefit of being an intern was being able to plan an event for donors.
“We held a gala at the San Jose Capitol Club for donating members,” Monta said. “Although it took weeks to plan and get together all the decor, during the event we were free to enjoy the food and roam around.”
While the rush of visitors at the park can be overwhelming, Monta said it makes the night go by faster.
“[It’s] such a rush of energy,” Monta said. “We’ve made sure that we have enough volunteers signed up every hour to make things go as smooth as possible.”
The production of the park also includes managing the events that occur around the park.
“In general, I love planning events because you truly get to see your vision and hard work all come to life,” Monta said. “It’s been[a] lot of detailed work these past few months.”
These details are what Monta focuses on the most.
“I enjoyed it [last year], the lights and the people,” said San Jose resident, Ethan Yang. “Hanging out with friends makes it so much more enjoyable.”
This year there are many other events for the public to attend such as “Breakfast with Santa” on Dec. 8 and a toy drive on Dec. 14. Visitors can now enjoy the park and its new elements that have been added this year.
New additions to the park include a scavenger hunt called ‘Elf Trouble’ that can earn you a free button, and a musical light show on the 55-foot tree located at the center of the park.
“Most important of all, working for Christmas in the Park has put me in the Christmas spirit since August,” Monta said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for this season to come.”
