Santa Claus has a new ride on display at Christmas in the Park this year, a plug-in sleigh that’s parked right next to his all-electric house. You’ve got to wonder if Reindeer Local 1225 will start picketing at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, but they’ll probably still get to pull the sleigh for appearances sake.
San Jose Clean Energy, which has been sponsoring Christmas in the Park for six years, decided to give Santa’s house an upgrade including a solar panel and “Elf Battery Storage” unit that powers the electric fireplace, a smart thermostat, all the lights in the hut and the sleigh plug-in. And if Santa’s coal-free at his little San Jose pied-à-terre, I’m guessing the stockings of kids on the naughty list might be safe this year too.
“We decided to step it up this year by offering Santa a lot of the incentives that we can offer residents as well,” San Jose Clean Energy Deputy Director Heather Dauler said.
The new digs were unveiled Friday night before the 65-foot-tall community tree was lit by a crowd of VIPs for a massive crowd packing the park just after sundown. The tree, by the way, is energy-efficient too — illuminated by thousands of LEDs, as are the other community-decorated trees in the park.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said powering Santa’s house with renewable energy is an example of the city’s push to be the nation’s first carbon-neutral city by 2030 — and a good example for the diverse crowds that make the visit to see the animatronic displays and Santa as part of their holidays.
“It’s a great San Jose tradition,” Mahan said. “Last year, we had over 700,000 people come through Christmas in the Park because it’s unique, it’s accessible, it’s memorable and it’s just family fun.”
Christmas in the Park is free to visit and open from noon to 10 p.m. every day until Jan. 1, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You can get more information, including an entertainment schedule, at www.christmasinthepark.com.
DEVIL IN THE DETAILS: San Jose City Council meetings in December are usually snoozers, but there might be a lot of discussion this Tuesday around an amendment being considered for the city’s historical preservation ordinance. It’s a sticky issue that has preservationists at odds with supporters of the Levitt Pavilion, which has been planned for St. James Park for nearly a decade.
The amendment would codify the City Council’s ability to allow a development (or demolition) that is “detrimental” according to the city’s historic preservation guidelines. Now, this is a power that the city attorney’s office says the council already has, but a court ruled that the city needs to spell that out.
The Sainte Claire Club Historical Foundation — which has been fighting the construction of the concert venue at the park on behalf of the 137-year-old, all-male social club across the street from the park — claims the amendment potentially would allow for the destruction of historic buildings all around St. James Park, if not the entire city. From my view, that’s just a scare tactic. Nobody’s looking to demolish Trinity Cathedral or the Sainte Claire Club, for that matter.
But Preservation Action Council Executive Director Ben Leech — who favors Levitt Pavilion being built in the park — says the amendment still should be tweaked to make sure there are strong safeguards to prevent private developers from tearing down historic structures.
The city’s position seems to be “trust us, we won’t let that happen,” but you can understand why people are wary given how much federal agencies have done things people never anticipated recently. The city also says tightening up the amendment further would actually leave it open to more litigation, so there may be no better solution. Hopefully, Tuesday’s conversation reminds the council to stay on its toes with this issue in the future.
MONTALVO DETOUR: If you’re planning a visit to the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, you’d better pay attention over the next three months. Starting Monday, the main entrance road is going to be undergoing repairs to keep it accessible, and that means it’ll be closed to all vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic until it’s nearly spring.
Visitors will be detoured to the Piedmont Road exit, which will become a rerouted entrance with a temporary two-way traffic signal. There will be lots of signage around, and events at Montalvo will have people there to make sure everyone knows which way to go, getting in and getting out. More detailed information and detour maps are available at montalvoarts.org/about/construction.
LIGHTING UP SANTANA ROW: You’ve got to hand it to the geniuses at Federal Realty behind Santana Row. Several years ago, it became painfully clear that the swanky San Jose shopping center’s tree-lighting celebration was just too crowded. People were packed elbow-to-elbow to see the big tree get lit up, along with entertainment and a visit from Santa. The solution? Have more than one holiday event.
So now we have “Spirit of the Row,” which kicks off Tuesday and continues the next two Tuesdays, starting at 6 p.m. each time. This week’s entertainment includes Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito, San Jose Dance Theater “Nutcracker” dancers, Archbishop Mitty performers and the St. Francis High School Dance Team. On Dec. 9, the lineup includes Children’s Musical Theatre performers, Grupo Folklorico, New Ballet San Jose “Nutcracker” dancers and performing arts students from Harker School. The Dec. 16 event will have the Santa Clara Elite Dance Co., the Presentation High School dance team, Las Mariposas Folklorico from Piedmont Hills High and the return of New Ballet San Jose dancers.
And while you’re around the Row, you might want to check out Cielo’s rooftop bar at Hotel Valencia. It’s been transformed into a cozy, winter wonderland for the holiday season with frosted Douglas fir trees, fireplaces and lounge seating, as well as some bespoke champagne cocktails with Piper-Heidsieck champagne and caviar pairings. It’s open 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturday.
You can get the full lineup and other information at santanarow.com/event/spirit-of-the-row.