November 30, 2007

Christmas in the Park lights up San Jose

Christmas in the Park, a two-acre winter fantasyland in San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez, will once again dazzle visitors with 30,000 glittering lights and more than 60 animated displays. This year, San Jose’s longest free exhibit celebrates the city’s dedicated community support and giving.

Each year, volunteers invest more than 257,000 hours preparing Christmas in the Park. Their generous contributions of time and money help to make Christmas in the Park a “Gift of Joy and Magic” and a must-see holiday venue to a half million visitors each year.

Christmas in the Park has also become a central community point for community donations to those in need during the holidays. Toys For Tots and the Second Harvest Food Bank accept donations in large kiosks located next to the Community Giving Tree in the center of Christmas in the Park.

This San José tradition opened Friday, Nov. 23, 2007 with the City Tree Lighting Ceremony and runs daily 9 a.m. to midnight through Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008.

Christmas in the Park is a joint venture of Christmas in the Park, Inc., a volunteer non-profit organization responsible for the development and direction of the event, and the city of San José’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services.

For more information or to volunteer, please call the Christmas in the Park hotline at 408-995-NOEL (6635) or visit www.christmasinthepark.com.

—Photos by Celeste Olivas