Dozens of people crowd around hundreds of trees wearing Santa hats and reindeer antlers, hanging ornaments and laughing. San Jose’s beloved Christmas in the Park is about to enchant Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
This year, the nonprofit that brings the holiday joy is asking people to pull out their wallets to fill a six-figure gap and keep the tradition alive. Christmas in the Park needs about $100,000 going forward after three key sponsors pulled out because of the poor economy. The funding gap won’t affect the more than 44-year-old tradition this year, but could affect next year’s festivities. The fun begins with the Nov. 29 tree lighting ceremony in downtown San Jose.
Debbie Degutis, Christmas in the Park managing director, said without the money, staff won’t be able to invest in new interactive activities and upgrades to the older displays to keep things fresh. Degutis said the event will be back next year and isn’t going away, but she’s relying on the expected 700,000 visitors to come up with the $100,000 to avoid pinching pennies.
She added the best way the community can show support is by buying a ticket to the nonprofit’s other event: History Park’s drive-thru light show. The light show is open Nov. 21 through Jan. 1 and offers more than a mile of twinkling lights. Tickets range from $25 to $30 per car, depending on the day.
“More than ever, we really need the community to step up and support the largest community event in the city,” Degutis told San José Spotlight.
@sanjosespotlight San Jose’s beloved Christmas in the Park needs to fill a $100,000 gap to avoid pinching pennies for next year’s festivities. Debbie Degutis, Christmas in the Park managing director, said without the money, staff won’t be able to invest in new interactive activities and upgrades to the older displays to keep things fresh. Degutis said the event will be back next year and isn’t going away, but she’s relying on the expected 700,000 visitors to come up with the $100,000 to avoid pinching pennies. She added the best way the community can show support is by buying a ticket to the nonprofit’s other event: History Park’s drive-thru light show. The light show is open Nov. 21 through Jan. 1 and offers more than a mile of twinkling lights. Tickets range from $25 to $30 per car, depending on the day. Learn more at SanJoseSpotlight.com. #sanjose #siliconvalley #christmasinthepark #christmas #bayareaevents
Christmas in the Park is free and relies largely on donations, sponsorships and fundraising to recreate the holiday magic year after year.
Real estate developer Chuck Toeniskoetter is one of those donors. His companies, including real estate and development businesses and Silver Creek Self Storage, donated $25,000 this year. He said as someone who took his four kids when they were little, he donated because it’s a gem for families.
“They’ve got Santa, they’ve got the Christmas tree, music — it’s just a happy place to be able to take your kids,” he told San José Spotlight.
The festivities expand past the holiday cheer in the heart of downtown, uplifting the area’s small businesses as hundreds of thousands of people walk through the bustling streets.
Alex Stettinski, CEO of the San Jose Downtown Business Association, said the economic boost during the holiday season is critical to downtown’s vitality. The area has struggled to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which left it saddled with high commercial and office vacancy rates.
Stettinski said the ice skating rink — provided by the downtown association next to the Signia Hotel — along with Christmas in the Park transform the city’s core.
“All these (events) that we have throughout the year are absolutely crucial to keep driving people and visitors into downtown to frequent our businesses,” he told San José Spotlight. “It absolutely has an immediate impact on the vitality of our business economy.”
The heart of the tradition, however, is the joy it brings to people every year, from the sugary hot chocolate topped with copious amounts of whipped cream to the 600 trees organizations and families decorate between holiday displays.
San Jose resident Erin McCarthy has been coming to the event since she was a child. She takes her nieces and nephews each year and participated in decorating a tree this year for Orchard Middle School, where she teaches. She wants to continue doing it for years to come.
“Some traditions are just the bedrock of society,” she told San José Spotlight. “They give people a sense of belonging, being part of something that’s bigger than themselves.”
Degutis has also been coming since she was a child, when she and her parents made it a tradition to volunteer at the information booth on Christmas Eve. She has about 20 years of photos with Santa as an adult and wants that magic to stick around.
“Things in life really aren’t free, and if we treasure something, we need to take care of it,” she said. “So I’m hoping people will help take care of Christmas in the Park.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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